(sorry about the length in advance!) I went through the "is it a phase" thing with my sexuality a few years back and now I'm going through it with gender, only it's 10x worse. You see, I think I've been experiencing dysphoria for years, I just didn't know it. Ever since I've hit puberty I've hated my body and had some pretty bad issues with depressive feelings and anxiety. I was so confused because I didn't feel at home in my own body and I literally cringed at my face in the mirror and in pictures (still do, to be honest). When I made my first EC account in 2012 I started wondering if maybe I wasn't 100% girl. I couldn't handle thoughts like those at the time, however, so I pushed it aside. About four months back it hit me that I'm almost definitely not cis. I tried on some non-binary terms like genderqueer and genderfluid but none of them really fit me. Then, I started to call myself by the name Daniel instead of my birth name and used he/him pronouns with myself and I really liked it. I tried binding and, again, I really liked the way it felt. A little while back I found a tutorial on how to make your face look masculine by using make-up to contour and stuff and I even took pictures because I felt so confident and comfortable in my skin. If I'm being 100% honest I've spent a ridiculous amount of time just staring at the pictures because I'm so shocked I can look at myself. I've been calling myself a boy for a couple weeks now and I feel more at home with myself than I've ever been. The idea of transitioning so I look like a boy sounds amazing. I'm just so worried it's a phase. I don't plan on coming out right now because it's far to soon in my opinion, but now that I recognize my dysphoria it's just so frustrating knowing that I it's within my ability to make myself comfortable in my own skin, just not right now. But, yeah. How did you guys decide it wasn't a phase? How did you convince other people it wasn't? Thanks so much in advance! (*hug*)
I'm exactly in the same state you are mate, it sucks Been proper depressed about these past few days, not eating right and just thinking. I don't like my body and i want change but i'm not sure i could go through with it, but this dysphoria i've had has been awful for years now *hugs*
Hey, a lot of your story is relatable to mine, i just posted a thread about it if you want to look, it might be helpful. From my trans* friends its not usually a definate yes or no, but if you take little stepa and think about how you feel on the way, youre probably more likely to reach a decison that is right for you. For a friend of mine she had a moment of encouragement/confidence in her identity when she dressed femme for the first time, it may take a ling time but you might reach a point like she did. Unfortunately, i havent found that point yet. :/
