So some good news, I've found myself to be more carefree, happier, and less anxious these days than I used to be since coming out to my immediate family and close friends. Knowing that the people who are most important to me still see me as their own means I am way less paranoid about gender than I was before. There's even a part of me that wants me to think about it less deeply about my gender now that I feel like "the worst" is over. Because as much as I worry about getting shit from random people, it would be so much worse if it was from someone I loved. And fortunately I haven't had to put up with pretty much ANY of that. It's just nice to not feel like I'm hiding anything. At least from the people that matter. Getting rid of that "internally lonely" feeling makes me feel really good about myself. Months ago I would have been terrified to do what I did, but thanks to y'all on EC and some of my close friends' encouragement, I've made some progress. Not a lot has changed, but something has and to me it's probably the most important part, which is that people know who I am. Or at least, part of who I am. A part of me I used to be too embarrassed to share. I guess ... this isn't so much of an "it gets better" post. It just happened to get better for me. Granted, it's not like my life is 100% peachy nor are all my doubts and fears erased. There's just enough going right that I feel so happy I said what I said! Had to share the mood by spreading it around. I already wrote posts about who I came out to in the past, so this isn't news. Just thought I could spread some encouragement around and offer this perspective: I'm not saying you can make choices that will cause you to live life without any regrets. But taking action can give you more self confidence and can even bring you closer to the people you love. There is that chance. Take your time testing the waters around people to get a good idea of whether it's safe, and then consider taking the plunge. It's actually made some of my old, recurring nightmares go away.
Wow, your way more brave than me. I'm basically unofficially out with my mom about being trans, but the rest of my family and close friends not so much. Hopefully I can be out with everyone I live with soon, as I hate hiding and lying to them.
Hi Jellal! Ya, a big wow....loved your post! Agree, agree, agree! The more we're able to live without secrets, the stronger we can be, and happier! And healthier! Big YUP! It reinforces, validates my own experience. Thanks for sharing yours.
