Make some likes and dislikes open, eg if your hiding a specific element of yourself say like, wanting long hair? grow ling hair. justify it with this guy has long hair, and I like long hair.
I don't know exactly what element of dysphonia you have so it difficult for me to give advice, but I get the impression that sometime is that feeling of not being true to your self that can hurt the most, so letting little things out like that can help one to feel better.
some elements of my body dysphonia actually helped me to cope some too, I took pride in my girlish features what little I had of them, and this helped me cope with the parts I didn't like. this lasts only up to you see them fading of course.(but it bides time)
you say, holding onto that fact that transition could still happen in the future gives you hope? that is a very good thing to do, because it doesn't have to be now, and it doesn't have to be never.
there might come a time were the now or never situation presents itself to you. it might not happen but if it does there are post here highlighting that that doesn't mean the world will end
yes sometimes problems we face pre transition can stay with us after. one of these things is society's expectations, some go from trying to tick male boxes and hiding a part of themselves, to trying to tick female boxes and once again hiding elements of who they are. Im sure there are other things too like dysphoria not being the sole cause of ones depression.
but, focus on the parts of your body that you do like. express some of your none conforming likes, even if only for yourself in private?
to be honest with you, before I knew gender dysphoria existed and what transitioning was, I was transitioning in stealth. went all the way just short of hormones and social transition. (going outside dressed coming out ect) I didn't know what transitioning was, but expressing myself in private really kept me going for a long time (gradually increasing throughout my life of course)
I see a lot of people here where mild hrt is the first step in their trasition. tha doesn't need to be the case.
like, retransition says,
it doesn't need to be now, or never
but like Jessica says
if it does get like that for you, choosing the skirt/transition doesn't mean the world will end.
if you still need a little more hope, tell us a bit more about how you experience dysphoria, and any thing in general that's getting you down in hops we can be a bit more helpfull to you.
