I'm trying to break down the various facets of transitioning benefits.
I think that they all kind of get lumped together usually.
I think that people certainly have different weightings on the different aspects.

• Somatic
  
  
  
  • Relief of discomfort from old physical self
  • Appreciation of new physical self
• Social acceptance of your true gender
• Internal peace at just being yourself irrespective of gender

The last aspect is a bit nebulous.
I mean the satisfaction of being yourself even if you get misgendered.

Any thoughts?

On that third bullet:

I just know that how I feel and how I behave when I'm dressed (currently my only outlet for my true self) is so wonderfully different from how I feel and behave when I'm "that guy" the world expects - my smile, for one thing, is completely different, and much better as Colleen.  It's how I know I'm on the right track.  I'm beginning to perceive that there are whole areas of my self that have been so brutally repressed all my life, they are dying to be expressed.  I've seen bits and pieces of them throughout my life, in my art, my music, things I make and do, but always in a very truncated form.  I'm looking forward to seeing what I can accomplish when I have free reign to be truly who I am.  To me, that's worth just about anything.

Coming up on my two year anniversary of going full time, I would have to say the social acceptance of my gender.

Wherever I go, whatever I am doing, I am accepted as a woman.

I didn't see an option that fit what I came to realize about my own transition (back when the earth was cooling LOL!)

Pre transition, I simply did not fit anywhere. I didn't know who or what I was and neither did anybody else.

Post transition, everything fit without even trying and nobody (including me) had any doubt.

But that's just me ......

Quote from: Northern Jane on September 18, 2010, 01:24:30 PM
Pre transition, I simply did not fit anywhere. I didn't know who or what I was and neither did anybody else.

Post transition, everything fit without even trying and nobody (including me) had any doubt.

But that's just me ......

No, it's not just you Jane.  That pretty much describes me, although I passed as a man (well, male anyway ) pretty well.

- Kate

I chose...

Relief of discomfort from old physical self
Appreciation of new physical self
Social acceptance of your true gender

I can't really describe it, but transitioning just makes me feel better; I've never been good at expressing myself, especially with words.

HRT has restored my ability to concentrate, drastically reduced my social anxiety, reduced my depression, and fixed my insomnia.  I don't even look all that different yet.  So while I like all of the potential benefits, the main one for me is no longer feel like I'm going insane.

   
* Somatic
          o Relief of discomfort from old physical self
          o Appreciation of new physical self
   
* Social acceptance of your true gender

Add - better ability to handle social situations.  Before i was an outcast because of my inability to understand and interact with groups of people.  After I transitioned, everything made sense, all the confusion was gone, i can easily now communicate with men and women in groups and out, and make friends without even trying.

Add - Relationships now are easier since you do not have to pretend to be another role.

    * Internal peace at just being yourself irrespective of gender Add - That makes it easier to handle outside problems and stresses as you are not dealing with 2 problems simultaneously (inside and outside >>> now only outside).

Personally, I just want to be accepted as man. It would be nice to truly look the part instead of being androgynous in appearance like I am, but I do not see the physical aspect of being a man to be entirely necessary. It would definitely be nice, but it isn't my top priority.

Quote from: Yakshini on September 22, 2010, 12:11:43 AM
Personally, I just want to be accepted as man. It would be nice to truly look the part instead of being androgynous in appearance like I am, but I do not see the physical aspect of being a man to be entirely necessary. It would definitely be nice, but it isn't my top priority.

Same here.  I don't care what my body looks like.  I just want people to see me for who I am.  I want to play the role in society that comes naturally to me.  I don't understand how to act female.  I don't understand female communication.  When I'm expected to be female, I end up seeming like a complete failure and a total weirdo who's clueless about a lot of things and can't communicate very well.  By masculine standards of communication and behavior, though, I'm fine.  Maybe even "normal".  When people expect me to be feminine, they often don't like me - I  inevitably disappoint them because of course I'm not what they're expecting.  When I'm expected to be masculine (or just myself regardless of gender) I seem to be likeable and easy to communicate with.  Any physical changes would just be a means to an end - a way to help align people's expectations of me with what I really am.  And there's that internal, personal satisfaction bit too that's harder to explain succinctly.

I chose the Internal Peace option, because I really think when it comes right down to it, that's been the biggest relief and most significant change even taking the physical changes into account. Just feeling at peace with myself and knowing that I was finally on the right track was like having 40 years of doubt and internal anguish swept away, and as time goes on it just gets better and better. I'm not as concerned with what other people think (never really was) as I am with just being able to love myself and be happy to be me.