I'm coming across this confusion and problem that i want to clear before i get my blood done and do tests for HRT. You see i'm getting confused and often distressed about feeling like i'm not transgender enough.
Everyone around me understands and wants to jump into the water so quickly i said that before but so you get where i am coming from i'll repeat it. Then iv'e been skyping with some trans friends and i constantly feel like i'm to feminine to be considered a guy even though that shouldn't matter. My brains like this
"They are so sure they are trans"
"They always make hard decisions before me"
"They seem so masculine"
"They know they want top surgery, or bottom without question?"
"They're so much more confident and more strong then i could be"
So is it that i'm thinking im not trans enough
or is it more like i'm bashing myself?
because if i can figure it out or get tips on how to step around it i'll go for it, i'm sick of putting myself under other people and thinking i'm not sure enough, or i'm silly.
I feel a strong desire to know myself quick and strongly like that but iv'e never reached that point
but some how i'm still in the zone of ride or die.

Hey Midnightstar, There is no such thing as being trans enough. So people do know if they want top surgery and some people don't know if they do. Me personally, I'm not worried about surgery because it's so far off, it doesn't matter right now. What matters is how you feel. There are men out there that are very feminine and women who are masculine. everyone has their own pace so don't fret if you aren't moving as quickly as your friends! you'll get their at your own pace. I've had a struggle getting up and going with my parents, and I still am, but I was sure of what I wanted when I came out. I won't worry about surgery until I'm further into transition because as of right now there is no need to worry. I personally don't want FFS or Breast augmentation simply because I'd rather be all natural, but it may change down the line. I do want SRS but I'm not totally on that boat yet. My point is, there is no such thing as being more or less trans, it's about you and how you feel.

thanks

Well first there is no trans enough.
Its a transgender spectrum, from i.e. people living with androgynous looks to full transition.

Its simply up to you to find where you are comfortable.
A good gender therapist might help.

If you identify as man you do not have to feel manly all the time.

Would a more male body make you more happy ?

And how would you like to be perceived ?

If you identify as man its perfectly ok to enjoy makeup or some hobbies more associated with females.
Gender identity, gender expression and pastimes are different things.

Then there are often two sides to each person.
One is their feelings.
If you look deep inside... how do you feel about those things ? Often people know.

Then the mind comes along with chatter ... thoughts what would be safe ... etc ...

I'd say listen to your heart and what you feel makes you happy.
A male hairstyle ... male clothes ... etc.

And don't compare yourself to others.
Its like comparing apples to oranges.
If you see something that you feel is for you thats different ... its something that is already inside of you.
But don't compare.

And the previous post has summed it up nicely imo 

*hugs*

Don't overthink it, there is no such thing as "trans enough", your gender identity and expression is yours alone.

I've heard the expression "comparing my insides with someone else's outsides". Other people often seem more certain and together than I am. In reality, they probably aren't. They just seem that way.

That's especially true here on the internet, where people can filter their messages carefully to make it seem like their further along than they are.

You just have to go at your own pace. It took me 20 years from the point that I knew I could do something about this to actually find the courage to do it. By stereotypical standards, I'd be in the middle of the spectrum having roughly equal parts male/female behaviors. It's just something I need to do for me. If it's something you need to do for you, then you're "trans enough".

I had uncertainty right up to the moment they knocked me out for SRS. Before that I knew I would never return to live as a male but that little voice still was saying "you may be making a mistake". I haven't had a moment of doubt after surgery. You are still early in your transition so there will be doubt but you only need to remember how unhappy you have been up to now and is your shot to be happy.

Quote from: Dena on March 16, 2016, 04:25:40 PM
I had uncertainty right up to the moment they knocked me out for SRS. Before that I knew I would never return to live as a male but that little voice still was saying "you may be making a mistake". I haven't had a moment of doubt after surgery. You are still early in your transition so there will be doubt but you only need to remember how unhappy you have been up to now and is your shot to be happy.

Sometimes i feel like everything has to be trans related though when in truth it isn't
so i wonder if i'm distressed enough inside trans gender issues to take hrt.
Or if maybe my distress is simply stronger in other problems, it confuses me but thats another problem
don't mind my venting.

Quote from: Dena on March 16, 2016, 04:25:40 PM
I had uncertainty right up to the moment they knocked me out for SRS. Before that I knew I would never return to live as a male but that little voice still was saying "you may be making a mistake". I haven't had a moment of doubt after surgery. You are still early in your transition so there will be doubt but you only need to remember how unhappy you have been up to now and is your shot to be happy.

So after SRS did you ever question again?

When I woke up, it felt like somebody was trying hard to move a a base ball up between my legs, I was blind and wanted to go back to sleep but I knew I made the right decision. Once after I lost my job, and I was beating up a pillow, I ask if I would have been better off without SRS and I knew as soon as I ask the question that I was better off with SRS. I have never regretted becoming a woman.

While not all problems are transgender related, it's much easer dealing with the problems in your life if you aren't suffering with the depression from being transgender.