💯 This!

Another way I've heard it phrased was that at the end of the day, you're the only one that has to live in your body. You're the only one that has to live your life full time.

Thank you! I'm fighting with the thoughts of not being pretty enough to do any meaningful changes? But I think a lot of that is coming from what I see in the mirror currently. He feels so lost and hollow and I don't see "me" yet. I don't even know what I look like

I've been wanting to do some hair removal, but I've got this pre-planned trip to Texas coming up so... Don't really want to make any noticeable changes before that. But definitely this winter when I can experiment undetected under long clothing 😁💯

I've not gone out full fem, but I'm pretty sure I would get looks. I have went out a couple times in polish and for the most part, I don't think anyone acted like they noticed. One time I was an anxious wreck though, hiding my hands half the day.

Hi Yuna! Thanks for the welcome :) girl, do I relate to the hair stuff. My wife actually recommended I try nair because I have hair everywhere and I feel like a ball of gross. Gonna take the time tonight to shave everything (something I played with around my teenage years but my inner voice said it was "too girly" so I stopped)

I'm looking forward to feeling smooth and soft. It's going to be the first thing I change/explore.

Really happy to hear nobody seemed "offended" by you being your true self. That's gonna be a hard one for me I think. I have some friends who I know would support and understand. But probably not my family and my workplace is very macho (I'm in the finance sector, so think wolf of Wall Street) and I don't think I could ever be brave enough there.

I keep telling my wife and my self that I have just wanted to feel pretty for so long. And now I realize I can feel pretty. It's not too girly because damn it I'm girly!

I realized I needed to text her that I had something I wanted to bring up about myself. Nothing I thought was bad or anything but told her I needed to text her to keep from chickening out.

So when we were able to talk, I broke down into tears and said "I think I might be trans"

And in an effort to save our marriage and family I needed to be 100% honest with her about my feelings and I needed that in return from her. Even if that means she was struggling to cope.

Again, we have been talking about it from when we wake up to when we go to sleep. Recontextualizing our entire relationship (been together for 15+ years and have a 15mo)

I have found it really affirming to hear her bring up some instances and behaviors in the past that now make total sense to her. I haven't felt this close to her in years and she's willing to support me even though the future for us is kind of uncertain.

She told me this morning I was practically glowing and she could see this massive weight lifted off of me. She told me she missed me so much and is glad to have me back.

I can't say that is how your partner will react and it's still not smooth sailing but keeping the communication going is crucial.

Good luck friend! I'm rooting for you and am here if you wanna talk. I'm new to all of this myself, but I hate the feeling of not knowing who I could talk to in my life about these things.

Thank you so much for the support ❤️

That is so fantastic that you are supportive of your sibling and what they are going through. The world needs more people that are loving and supportive!

And thanks! I keep chickening out on shaving, but I'm doing it tonight! I'm really looking forward to feeling more like myself.

No need to be envious, we can be shaving pals 😁 if that feels like something you may enjoy, why not explore it? It's temporary and easy to cover up :) just a thought.

Thank you for the kind words!

That is wonderful! Congrats on your journey as well!

No funny stories that I can think of at the moment. I've only come out to my wife so far - and right now that feels good for me. I'm terrified of any one else's reaction 😬

Although looking back at my life has been a bit comical. Countless red flags that were screaming at me to take a deeper look at myself. Hell, I was subscribed to egg_irl for months before even considering the fact that I found the memes so funny because they were relatable, lol. I just thought our community was hilarious 🤣

Thank you! I'm definitely trying to keep from getting ahead of myself. I'm wanting to make small changes and just try and enjoy my exploration. It's been less than a week since I started my self acceptance journey, but I already feel so much lighter and happier. I'm starting to actually like myself for the first time in my life. Just by embracing all of this.

It can be overwhelming at times though. Especially when I'm tired. It almost feels like I'm crawling back into my shell because it's "comfortable". Not sure if that makes sense but something I've started to notice.

https://turn-me-into-a-girl.com/confirm.htm

There are versions for the other kinds of trans, as well. This site got me started. Also scroll down and keep scrolling down, it's not just the button.

Well, first I got out a bowl and a whisk . . .

Good question. Been in therapy for the upteenth time for depression and anxiety. Also recently had a son and immediately went into a mental breakdown. Addiction and trust issues (my fault) in my marriage also was weighing on me heavily. Worked through a lot of childhood trauma that was unrelated (as far as I can remember) and felt like there was still something at my core that I still hated about myself?

Never felt like I could actually love myself or even care about myself. Even when my wife was begging for me to talk to her about how I was feeling. I felt like I was expressing my feelings to her,but they never matched up to reality. She knew there was more to it before I did. I just thought life was about being miserable.

Got to a point where I accepted the fact that I was going to die young and the best version of me was to give my all to my family while I could. I burned myself to the ground trying to be an "ideal man" for my family and just thought I wasn't good enough to be alive.

I've never felt like I could be genuinely happy with myself.

Now I realize it's because I'm not supposed to be a man. I just wish I realized that as a teenager when i was experimenting and not a decade later with serious self destructive qualities.

So all of that boiled to a head as I was scrolling through egg_irl and laughing at the memes and then realized "fuck, this is me isn't it?"

Then I googled the big looming question.

How do I know if I'm trans?