Quote from: Miss Demoness on June 18, 2014, 12:38:52 PM
Really? My whole personality is different! Very few things from my prior, fake persona transcended over into who I really am. Even things I like or dislike are drastically different right down to music tastes. When I try to listen to music I used to love (or at least I thought I did) it irritates me, gives me a headache and is simply not appealing whatsoever. There is almost nothing about me that is reminiscent of that "thing" I used to parade around as. The things I like to do, books I like to read, music, clothes, fashion, shoes, TV shows; even the type of environment I like to live in is all drastically different, how I feel about things, my perceptions, beliefs and sense of morality right down to my ethical system; It's all different! Like I said, very few similarities. Who I was before has nothing to do with who I am now. It was a big joke; I was a big joke, a cliche and an actor in the movie called my life. There were no "behind the scenes" for me and I loathed that "thing" I was claiming I was and wanted desperately to kill it permanently. Thankfully today, that "thing" is dead.
Oh, don't get me wrong. My "fetishes" are really no different and my likes and dislikes have only changed a little bit because some things I really like were once dysphoria triggers. I can admit I like certain things now without fear of outing myself or catching hell. The same things that made me tick before are still making me tick. I still like sports, playing guitar, and the same books and movies. My religious and political views are the same. I always WANTED to wear a cute dress and look good in it, but now I actually get to.
But, OMG, the difference in my personality is quite marked. I was depressed, angry, drunk and a moody a*hole all of the time if I didn't have a proper distraction. I didn't know what "happy" truly was. My wife would not trade back for the "old me" in a million years. And yes, I spent a long time attempting to fit in to dudebro culture and faking it. I got so good at it that I even convinced myself that I was nothing more than a cishetguy, and I had resigned myself to dying a fat, balding, drunken, miserable a*hole.
HRT was a real game changer. I'm a happy, laid back girl now, and having shed the burden of faking it 24/7 was like losing the weight of the world off of my shoulders. I don't need to drink anymore, and people no longer walk on eggshells when they are around me. I don't remember the last time I lost my temper or was abusive to anyone. (OK, wait, I did punch a guy in the face the week before I got the full dose of HRT, but he was a transphobic douche and really got to me when I was drunk.) The best thing though is that I no longer fear being 100% honest with myself or anyone else. No more lies to live. That in itself is such a relief, and I no longer wish to die young because of it.