You risk losing friends, family, jobs, and more. People's opinions of you might change, some will think you're just going through a phase, some will think you're just confused about your sexuality, some will think you just want attention and some will think you don't know what it is you want. No one will understand how you feel unless they're going through the same situation, and even then it's different for each person. You have to decide if it's worth it, do you want it enough to risk losing everything? I did, that's why I took the risk, and although I've lost alot because of it, it's the best thing I've ever done because I knew it was what I needed to do in order to be happy and live a life I love.
The first step is deciding that you're sure it's what you want. Yes it's easy to reverse everything and go back to living as your born gender, but that will make things even more complicated for you. If you're sure you want it, tell people close to you. Family, close friends, boyfriends or girlfriends. Tell only a few to begin with and see how they react, see if they'll help you, because the next step is just as difficult and you'll need a good group of supportive people to help you through it, I went through it alone and I do not recommend it.
Then you'll have to decide to come out and start living as the gender you feel inside. Go slow or take a huge leap, whatever you think you could handle. For me, I got rid of all my boy clothes and threw them away hours after I told everyone. The next day I started dressing as a girl and asked people to call me by my new name, but you have to think about how the people you're coming out to will react, will they be able to cope with it? Will they really be able to see you as a woman/man so quickly? They might not, so this is why going slow is also a good option.
The next step is hormones. Go to your doctor and tell them how you feel, take all the help they offer and do whatever it takes to get seen by the right people. Go to appointments, get a therapist, do not miss any appointments that they give you because you have to show you're serious about this, even if it means traveling hundreds of miles just to be seen for five minutes, it's worth it and it shows how comitted you are. It won't be an easy journey and you'll probably get impatient, but wait it out. It's definitely worth it, never ever give up.
In the end you have realize that this is something you may have to do to be happy in life. Why live a lie forever? You'll never be happy if you're never true to yourself. The best thing in life you can realize is that you come first, your happiness is all that matters, and as long as you're comfortable with yourself, nothing else should matter. Don't make excuses, age isn't stopping you, friends and family aren't stopping you, your location isn't stopping you, weight/height/appearance/body/etc isn't stopping you. The only thing stopping you is you, and the sooner you realize that everyone else has their own problems to deal with and that they really don't care that much about what you do with your life, the better, because that is when you will start living instead of just being alive.
♥ Ellery ☠
