I identify as genderfluid. I have had a few spells of dysphoria, but this last one has lasted for almost two weeks. I feel constAntly male, not female at all, or non binary. What does this mean? How long does your dysphoria/ gender phases last?
There are no standards for being genderfluid, for how often your gender must change, for what it should feel like when it does, for whether you are fluid enough to claim the label. Is your gender different to what it used to be? Do you think it will change again in the future? If yes to both, congrats: you're probably genderfluid. Bonus question: Are these factors important to you when describing your gender? If yes, congrats: it's probably worth calling yourself genderfluid (instead of or in addition to whatever other gender labels you use). If you feel your gender is permanently one thing (even if this didn't used to be the case), or if fluidity is not important to you and you'll just take things as they come, then "genderfluid" might not be a worthwhile label for you, although again, there's no regulation on it and you can use it if you wish. And if you're not sure, that's okay! Questioning can be tough and last a long time and you can exist in whatever nebulous between-label space you please, without having to explain or justify yourself to anyone.
I'm not genderfluid, but I think you should not stress about labels too much and just go with whatever you're feeling like atm!
Honestly, everyone experiences the mental and physical implications of their dysphoria differently. Sometimes I'll go several weeks feeling like a boy, I'll fantasize about transitioning, and being to worry that I will never feel comfortable as a woman again. But then, I might wake up one day and find that I am okay and no longer feel like that, even though I might've been so sure that it wasn't going to change. I think the key is to learn about yourself, learn how you shift and how to judge your feelings and compare them to one another before deciding on any major physical transition / changes, or just how you label yourself.
There is really no way for anyone to define gender identities if it is not theirs. I am still growing and evolving with my gender, but at the moment I identify as non-binary and genderflux, which to me is like a more intense version of genderfluid. I experience different genders constantly, and the dysphoria that comes with that can be extremely intense, or barely there at all. I have never experienced social dysphoria, only body, mostly relating to my chest, since I am inheriting my mom's larger sized chest. Most days I do not feel feminine, more masculine without feeling completely like a guy. Some days my gender barely exists, just in the grey area of masculinity, and other days everything is so intense that I just want to shrivel up and disappear because I hate my body so much. This can last between a few hours to a couple of days. If you want to learn more about gender, then buy The ABC's of LGBT+ by Ash Hardell(Ashley Mardell as printed on the book). It is available on Amazon. That book is extremely educational and has helped me through my own self-discovery.
Genderfluidity describes all people whose gender frequently fluctuates, regardless of how often these fluctuations occur. They can be anywhere from hours to months apart. My genderfluid best friend once went through months of feeling male. Nowadays they mostly stay within the non-binary range, though they do sometimes flicker back and forth between male and female.
Well..the thing with nonbinary genders is that the definitions tend to vary depending on who you ask..so you're completely free to keep identifying that way if you want to.. If you suspect that you might actually be a trans male I'd suggest you ask some of the ones on this site that started out with identifying as NB for their experiences and compare. Either way:Good luck!
I just want to say that I feel this SOOO MUCH. Coming from the other side, being born male, there are days where I wish I could just express my pent-in female side and fantasize about transitioning. Then other days, I wake up and look in the mirror and feel 100% fine with being strong and masculine. I identify as genderfluid now after going to a counselor and talking all of this stuff over with her but never would've known unless I thought about it. It's nice to see that there are others out there that feel this exact same way haha. I almost call it like "gender amnesia" in the sense that you kind of just forget how you felt when you were one gender when you're in the other.
