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I feel so stuck. How do I move past these doubts?

Discussion in 'Gender Identity and Expression' started by jenben, Dec 7, 2015.

  1. jenben

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    I've been questioning my gender for a while now and I really just want to be able to reach a solid conclusion. A definite "yes I'm trans" or "no I'm not trans". I feel like every time I get close to a sense of certainty I just bombard myself with doubts and get dragged back again.

    I'm also terrified of the idea of coming out but then somewhere in the future realising that I'm not really trans after all and having to deal with telling everyone that I was wrong.

    I think writing stuff out can often be helpful, so I'm going to make a list here of all the things that have made me think I might be FtM and also a list of the doubts. If you could give me your honest opinions and thoughts on this stuff, I would be really grateful.

    Reasons I feel I might be FtM:
    - I can't pinpoint when this started, but for a long time I've had a sense of disconnection from myself, especially seeing myself in the mirror or in photographs. Over the past couple of years this had gotten to the point that I was so uncomfortable seeing myself that I actively tried to avoid mirrors and rarely if ever took photos of myself. "Taking selfies" has definitely never been something I've wanted to do in the past, unlike the majority of my peers in school/college. Since cutting my hair short, this has improved somewhat. I still feel the disconnection, but it's not nearly as uncomfortable to look at myself and I've probably taken more photos of myself over the past few months than I had done over the past few years, prior to it being cut. Wearing a binder also helps and I feel a lot more comfortable looking at myself, from the waist up, if I have it on, although the disconnection isn't gone. Also, in all the profile pictures I've taken of myself since for Facebook and stuff, I've worn my binder, even though the photo wouldn't actually show my chest, since I felt more comfortable taking a photo of myself if I had a binder on.
    - It feels really uncomfortable and jarring to be called feminine terms like woman or lady. I do not feel like I'm a woman and it feels very uncomfortable and wrong to say "I'm a woman"
    - Female pronouns (she/her) are not as uncomfortable to me, but it does feel a little odd for people to use them for me, more so since I started questioning. I guess I'm more apathetic toward them than anything, but maybe that's just because I'm used to them. (I have a similar feeling for the terms girl and aunty as well)
    - My voice is very high and I hate it. I wish it was lower.
    - I've just always felt wrong or out of place somehow. Like my whole life is just an act or something, like I'm just playing out a role. I've always had this sort of feeling of emptiness and a sense of being trapped in or suffocated in my life. I've always felt like there was something wrong with me and have often been desperate to find a reason why (like going through lists of symptoms for mental health disorders), but never really being able to find anything that explained how I felt, beyond being depressed.
    - There have been times when I've seriously considered trying to find/purchase medications that I've heard about online (DHT cream, DHEA supplements), as a means of altering aspects of myself to be more masculine. But I've always stopped myself, before going as far as actually buying something, because I know it's generally not a good idea to take medications without consulting a doctor.
    - I'm very involved in a online roleplay forum and while I've had a mixture of female and male characters, I've found that I often struggle to write female characters and have ended up shelving most of them (in fact 6 out of 7 of my shelved characters are female). I seems like I tend to lose interest in female characters a lot quicker and find it easier to connect with the male ones. I also think I prefer to write with a male voice, if that makes sense.
    - I also wonder if the reason I feel I'm aromantic asexual is because I just can't see myself in this body in a relationship or having sex. For a long time I've found that I've only really been interested in reading/writing about male/male relationships. Before I started questioning I'd often joke to myself that maybe I should have been a gay guy.
    - I just don't think I can be a cis female. Surely someone who's cis wouldn't feel like this.

    The Doubts:
    - I only started questioning fairly recently, in my 20s.
    - I don't know if I can see myself ever actually coming out to my family and friends and transitioning
    - Saying "I'm a man" also doesn't feel quite right, although it's not really uncomfortable like saying "I'm a woman". I have more of an apathetic feeling toward man and other male terms, including male pronouns. But I suppose it could be that I'm just not used to them, since no one calls me by them.
    - I don't really hate my name, although it doesn't really feel like it is "my name" either. I guess again it's more of an apathetic feeling, like I'm used to being called it. However, I just can't find a male or unisex name that really feels like "the one" either. I've thought of maybe Jay and/or Jaden, but I really just feel an apathy toward them, like I kind of like them and could get used to them, but I don't have a sense like "omg that's my name!" toward them either.
    - When I was younger, in my teens, I did try to dress more feminine/sexy and as a teenager wanted my breasts to be bigger (although I have the opposite feeling now).
    - I don't 100% hate my breasts, although I do prefer how I look flat-chested, with a binder on.
    - In my past there have been a couple of traumatic experiences, in which a female (myself or someone else) was a victim in some way. So one thing that worries me is what if I made this all up to myself, to escape from being in that victim role, somehow?
    - Also I think I often have a tendency to obsess or over-think things, so what if all of this questioning is just me over-thinking things? (I have also considered, on the flip-side, that all the doubts could very well be me over-thinking, rather than the other way around)

    If you've read all of this then thank you. I know it's a lot and I would really appreciate any opinions, thoughts, ideas. I just feel like I've hit a sort of block, like I'm going around in circles and I need to find a way to break out of that, so that I can move forward in one way or another.
     
  2. darkcomesoon

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    I'm not going to address the reasons you think you might be ftm individually, but I will say that I agree that every single thing in that list points towards you being ftm, or at least some sort of non-cis identity.

    Regarding your doubts:
    I only started questioning fairly recently, in my 20s.
    People find out they're trans at all sorts of ages. Some people know when they're 4. Some people figure it out when they're 30. A woman at my church didn't realize she was trans until she was about 70, but she's still definitely trans. It's never too late to figure it out.

    I don't know if I can see myself ever actually coming out to my family and friends and transitioning
    Transitioning and coming out is frightening. Not being able to imagine doing it doesn't mean you're not trans. Honestly, even if you end up deciding that coming out and transitioning isn't worth it, that doesn't mean you're not trans. It just means your dysphoria wasn't quite bad enough to warrant the difficulties that come with all of the steps of transitioning and whatnot.

    Saying "I'm a man" also doesn't feel quite right, although it's not really uncomfortable like saying "I'm a woman". I have more of an apathetic feeling toward man and other male terms, including male pronouns. But I suppose it could be that I'm just not used to them, since no one calls me by them.
    I felt a bit odd with male-coded language at first too because I wasn't used to it. Keep in mind that you can be ftm or nonbinary and still prefer neutral language. If you'd rather use neutral pronouns and just be referred to as a person, and not a man or a woman, you can do that regardless of your gender.

    I don't really hate my name, although it doesn't really feel like it is "my name" either. I guess again it's more of an apathetic feeling, like I'm used to being called it.
    Dysphoria doesn't mean you have to hate your name and pronouns and body. The disconnect from your name (feeling like it's not quite your name) is a pretty common feeling. I feel fairly uncomfortable when people call me by my birth name, but I'm really used to is, so it doesn't bother me that much. Jesse feels a lot more me though.

    When I was younger, in my teens, I did try to dress more feminine/sexy and as a teenager wanted my breasts to be bigger (although I have the opposite feeling now).
    Same. I conformed to what was expected of me. I liked feeling like a conventionally attractive woman, and part of that was dressing femininely and wishing my chest was bigger. I didn't recognize that much of the discomfort with my body that I assumed was normal insecurities was probably actually dysphoria.

    I don't 100% hate my breasts, although I do prefer how I look flat-chested, with a binder on.
    Again, dysphoria doesn't have to be hate. Feeling like your chest is supposed to be flat and feeling more comfortable when binding counts.

    In my past there have been a couple of traumatic experiences, in which a female (myself or someone else) was a victim in some way. So one thing that worries me is what if I made this all up to myself, to escape from being in that victim role, somehow?
    People who are trying to escape being female for reasons like that (wanting to escape gender roles, wanting to escape being in a victim role, etc.) are still unlikely to manifest as physical dysphoria. You have described dysphoria that does not directly relate to being female in a social sense. If you are still concerned, it could be worth discussing with a therapist. They will be able to help you analyze your feelings and determine whether your dysphoria exists independently of your traumatic experiences.

    Also I think I often have a tendency to obsess or over-think things, so what if all of this questioning is just me over-thinking things? (I have also considered, on the flip-side, that all the doubts could very well be me over-thinking, rather than the other way around)
    Overthinking doesn't cause physical dysphoria. It's much more likely that the doubts are you overthinking.
     
  3. NotKnowing

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    i just read your text and it is absolutely INCREDIBLE how much I can relate!
    I think it's very common thing for trans people to have these kind of doubts and for me it sounds very much like your trans (though I feel the same way and also don't know if I'm trans..)
    Especially the last part sounds a lot like me, where you said you are afraid you might just overthink this because you easily obsess. I feel EXACTLY the same way, also about being afraid I might change my mind after coming out and having to tell everyone I was wrong.. It's not like coming out is awkward enough already, right?
    I am sorry I can't help you, as I am stuck myself. I think writing a list about why you think you are trans and why you think you aren't is a good step.
    When I did this I had about 2 1/2 pages of why I am trans and like less than 1/2 a page of why I'm not. How much proof do I need? Well, apparently more, since I'm still not quite there yet. I also think that saying "I am a boy" sounds weird to me, but I do actually want to be a boy...

    Well, anyways. I wish you the best of luck to find whatever you are searching for to make a decision :slight_smile:
     
  4. jenben

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    darkcomessoon and NotKnowing, thank you for replying. It's really helped :slight_smile:

    I definitely feel very similarly about this. I had a lot of insecurities about my appearance when I was a teenager, which is not uncommon, but I do think there were very likely elements of dysphoria there, which at the time I just assumed were all part of the general self-esteem type issues, common in teenagers.

    I definitely think you're right. From all the research and exploring I've done, I doubt that either of the things that happened could really influence me in that way. Especially since a lot of the feelings I have definitely originated from before.

    I do worry that if I do come out though, that people will be reluctant to believe me or try to discredit me because of these things in the past.

    It is very likely that I'm over-thinking these doubts. I think I needed to hear that coming from someone else though, so thank you. All your comments are really helpful (*hug*)

    YES! I think changing my mind after coming out and having to tell everyone I was wrong, is pretty much my biggest fear overall around coming out. The whole process of coming out would be such an awkward and difficult thing to begin with. Then having to "un-come out", I feel would make everything 100x more awkward.
    I think what I might do though, is come out to a group of internet friends I have. It would definitely be a lot easier anyway and I know they are all very accepting of these things, so the pressure isn't as much. And I think talking to them about it and having them using a different name/pronouns for me, might help to solidify things in my mind. I don't know if I'll do this right away or wait a little bit longer, we'll see.

    Also your comments are still helpful. Even just hearing that someone else feels the same way as you do can often help I think. And I wish you good luck, I hope things work out for you :slight_smile:
     
  5. Matto_Corvo

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    Wow, we are very similar in both our experiences and our doubts.
    I'm also apart of a role playing forum and use to play male and female characters. At first I refused the male roles feeling that since I was "female" I would play the female roles better. I constantly realized my female characters were rather..flat? They were either girly girls or so tomboyish they could of been a boy with boobs. I had to force myself into their roles. My first male role (i wanted to be in that role play very much so I agreed to the male role) was actually very fun. I amazed at how easily he came to me. Tentatively I started taking more roles and a few years later I realized that For every female role I had I had five other male roles. I also admit that I have identified as asexual for a long time, but when I pictured myself as one of my male characters in a relationship that never seem to be the case.
    I've also felt like I have just been been acting a part for the majority of my life. I can remember being as young as 14 and thinking "Next time I will be a boy." Also since questioning and accepting being trans I have felt like my whole life has opened up again. Before I was content to be in a rut and going no where. I didn't want to interact with people and hanging with family caused anxiety to spring up and i would end up canceling sometimes, especially if I knew we had to go out in public. I never understood why that happen though. I also feel the same about selfies. When I first started taking make up I might of snapped a few off because I loved how eyeliner makes my eyes look, but anything below the head made me want to cry.
    I'm running low on time so I better get on to the doubts.

    Regarding your doubts: (borrowed someone's layout for this)
    I only started questioning fairly recently, in my 20s.
    While I can look back and see points in my life where I had doubts and question I had always pushed them away and told myself all girls felt that way. I was 22 when I first started questioning hardcore, and 23 when I finally accepted that I was trans.

    I don't know if I can see myself ever actually coming out to my family and friends and transitioning
    I have this problem as well. I manage to to tell my mom through a facebook message, and my aunt guessed, my friend was supportive and my other friends turn out to be trans ( i didn't know till I came out to them), but the rest of my family I have a hard time picturing coming out to. It's normal to feel this way, I assure you. Coming out is scary because the results are unknown, but eventually you will reach the point where you will. If you want to make it go a bit more smoothly you can drops hints every once in a while.

    Saying "I'm a man" also doesn't feel quite right, although it's not really uncomfortable like saying "I'm a woman". I have more of an apathetic feeling toward man and other male terms, including male pronouns. But I suppose it could be that I'm just not used to them, since no one calls me by them.
    This is me as well. I don't actually mind female pronouns, they are familiar I guess you can see, but I never minded male coded terms either. Man, guy, dude, bro. Male pronouns feel awkward for me and I know it is because they have never been used as a way to talk to/about me. My mom tried for a day then abruptly stopped, and when she did use them she did it with a laughing tone like it was a secret joke.
    A lot of trans guys probably feel unsure about male pronouns till they get use to them. As a baby we had time to get use to female terms and associate them with ourselves. By time we were able to form and remember long term memories we were already use to being called fem terms.

    I don't really hate my name, although it doesn't really feel like it is "my name" either. I guess again it's more of an apathetic feeling, like I'm used to being called it.
    You don't have to hate your name to be trans. There are a lot of trans people who keep their birth names, or find ways to spell it gender neutral ways.

    When I was younger, in my teens, I did try to dress more feminine/sexy and as a teenager wanted my breasts to be bigger (although I have the opposite feeling now).
    I never wanted bigger breast but then by time I was 10 I was in a medium A cup already soo lots of unwanted picking going on from guy friends. I tried to dress more feminine when I was a teen as well. I was in denial that I could be trans because I didn't exactly feel like a guy, I just hated my female body was all. I tried to act more feminine and I would get excited when I could pull it off, and I tried to dress in what I considered more girly clothes. I also finally started wearing makeup when I was 18 though it was only foundation to cover pimple scars, and eyeliner because I liked the rock star look xD. Looking back on it I actually just looked like a tomboy, and only my brother ever saw me acting girly when I got excited over a kdrama or jdrama. At the end of day I was always left feeling like it wasn't me. I knew that at my core there was something very masculine and very male that would always shine through. I just acted female because I wanted others to accept me, wanted my family to accept me.

    I don't 100% hate my breasts, although I do prefer how I look flat-chested, with a binder on.
    Don't hate mine 100% either. I always imagine myself flat chested, but the sight of them there won't throw me into a spiral of self hatred. I'm just apathetic to them. The only time I care for the public to see them is when going to the bathroom, because still have not worked up the courage for male restrooms but bladder condition means I gotta go when I gotta go.

    In my past there have been a couple of traumatic experiences, in which a female (myself or someone else) was a victim in some way. So one thing that worries me is what if I made this all up to myself, to escape from being in that victim role, somehow?
    I had this worry as well. I spent the years between 6 and 13 in a very bad environment, I worried that because of this I was making this up. After all I wasn't one of the kids who wished to be a boy growing up, who insisted that they were a boy. Then I remember little instances of how I've always sort of been 'boy'.
    As young as 3 I would look down at my body and be struck with the feeling that it was male, the moments only lasted a few minutes and then I would simply shrug and go back to what I was doing. When I was 5 I remember getting upset that I was forced to play with the girls at daycare. I had always played with the boys and hated being lumped with the girls. A teacher told me I was just a tomboy, which I told my dad who then gave me lecture about how his daughter would not be a tomboy which equals a lesbian to him. Growing up my dad made me go through "girl training" because I often acted to much like my brothers. I had to learn to swish my hips while walking, back straight and boobs out. I was crying at the end of most of it. Of course that could also be me trying to escape gender roles. But then there is the physical dysphoria. It is mild but it is there, and I can't make that up. If I base my decision on anything it is the fact that I want and need to be physically male, and I never really thought about what I would gain socially from it. (gaining male privilege actually scares me xD)

    Also I think I often have a tendency to obsess or over-think things, so what if all of this questioning is just me over-thinking things? (I have also considered, on the flip-side, that all the doubts could very well be me over-thinking, rather than the other way around)
    Same. I have a lot of time on my hands and thus I tend to overthink and obsess over something that is bothering me. As someone else said, physical dysphoria doesn't really manifest due to overthinking. I do think it is the doubts you are over thinking. Doubts are normal and kind of good to have, it means you are thinking this over seriously, but overthinking them can also put a wrench in your happiness. Instead of thinking about the doubts, sometimes take a break and think about all that things you look forward to if you decided to transition.

    I was kinda afraid about coming out and being wrong as well. The more I accept myself as trans the more I know I'm not wrong, but that little nagging fear is there to remind me how embarrassed I would be to have to admit that I was wrong. Judging from the amount of self love I feel since accepting myself as trans I doubt that I am wrong.

    Any chance that the role playing forum site is Gaia Online?
     
  6. jenben

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    @CadutiMorte We do have a lot in common. I was about 22 when I first started seriously questioning my gender and am 23 now. Also I love when people use dude, bro, guy and stuff to refer to me.

    I also have a fairly similar experience with role playing. Although technically, before I got into forums, I started out rping as Draco Malfoy, so I actually got into through a male role. Once I got into forums though, I started with a female character, who I still have. She's a very tomboyish character though. Most of the other female characters I tried making since felt flat and I struggled to find any interest in writing them. The male characters I've made are much easier and more natural for me to write.

    The forum isn't Gaia though, I'm afraid. It's a non-canon au Harry Potter site. I could send you a link perhaps if you want.
     
  7. DemiLiHue

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    Look, I know it's frustrating, it also happened to me, it happens to all of us.(trans) I can actually relate with you a lot. But you don't sound really like a woman, and neither like a man. Maybe you are just... Nonbinary!! have you ever thought of being not female nor male, not fitting, feeling disconnected with your body nor ur name... (I assume your name is too feminine) wanting your boobs to be bigger, but now you don't. You would like to not have breasts anymore... That sounds like genderqueer to me, in fact, that sounds to me!
     
  8. jenben

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    I am non-binary. By calling myself transmasculine, I mean that I identify somewhere on the male end of the spectrum but not as wholly male, which by definition would put me under the non-binary umbrella. So yes I've definitely considered non-binary genders :icon_wink

    I'm pretty certain that I'm not agender though, since I do not feel genderless.

    I would also point out that the wanting larger breasts was only as a teenager and may well have been more to do with wanting to fit in and be attractive to people, rather than gender.