Transition

I could literally write all day long about this specific topic as there's so much information that goes into transition.

Transition is the process of moving from one gender to the next.  Trans means "across". Transgender means across genders or to cross genders.

Many people think transition is "HELL".  It can be...but it doesn't have to be.  Every person's transition is different.  It's unique to their experience, their situation and their perspective.  It's all dependent on many other factors such as employment, adequate housing, support system, family, employment, income, and ability to access resources.

Overall, your transition is what YOU make of it.  If you're negative all the time and you don't put in the effort to be the best you can then it's without a doubt that your transition will NOT be a fun time for you.

Yes, there are somethings that will be out of your control.  

• Losing a job.
• Being refused to be hired for a job.
• Being discriminated against.
• Being harassed.
• People make not like you.
• People may not accept you.
• Your family will reject you.

What can you control?

• Your attitude.
• Your outlook on life and your transition.
• Your behavior.
• Your determination to succeed.
• How you look (to an extent).
• How you walk.
• How you talk to other people.
• How you react to other people and situations.
• Don't be a victim all the time. Take accountability for yourself.
• Your anger

What can YOU do to make things easier on yourself for your transition?

• Learn to style your hair or find a stylist that can teach you.
• Get laser hair removal on your face (if you're male to female). Removing that shadow helps.
• Get your eyebrows thinned down and shaped to a feminine style.
• Using side or front bangs when styling hair to hide facial masculinity.
• Find, obtain and retain gainful employment. Steady income helps! Don't skip jobs.
• Do not rely on loans and credit cards. Some to build and maintain your credit are good.
• Keep your debt to income ratio low.
• Stay out of legal trouble (speeding tickets, domestic violence situations, fights, DUI's, etc)
• Build personal relationships, make new friends, and maintain existing family relationships.
• Work with your therapist to learn coping mechanisms to depression, anxiety and volatile situations.
• Work with your therapist to learn trigger recognitions (things that set you off, how to recognize when you're becoming depressed, etc).
• Show up to work on time. Don't make your transgender status a focal point.  Don't talk about it at work (except for your initial coming out).  No one at work cares that you are transgender, they don't care you are having surgery.  You're there to work and contribute.  Leave that stuff at home. Co-workers ARE NOT your friends. 
• If you're male to female, act like a female, look like a female, walk like a female, talk like a female, conduct yourself life a female, behave like a female. (vice versa if you're female to male).  
• Stay busy.  The less time you have to sit around and cry and be depressed, the faster time will go.  Find a hobby (hiking, photography, drawing, web design, programming, bike riding, whatever you are interested and pursue it and get lost in it.  It makes time pass faster).  
• Learn something new to advance your professional development in the workforce.  Get a special license to get you into a new career field to make more money.  Apply yourself. Here in Colorado we have the Workforce Investment Act. It provides $5,000 training for something. Take advantage of it. Use it. Better yourself.  This is what you should be doing during your transition.  Always bettering yourself anyway you can. Go to college, get into college, learn and apply yourself. 
• Steer clear of sex worker trades.  Prostitution leads to drugs, std's and violence.  You are a HUMAN BEING.  Not a piece of meat, not a tranny, not a she-male, not a he-she, or a she-he or any other derogatory terms that bigots come up with. Value yourself.
• Be brave, have courage.  It takes a lot to be yourself.  It won't happen overnight, it takes time to develop. 
• Save your money. Don't blow it on junk. Buy what you need, treat yourself to something nice every once in a while though.
• Be good to yourself!

Transition is a journey.  It can be this awful, horrid, nasty experience...or it can be a beautiful journey in which you learn about who you are, what you're made of and just another obstacle to overcome and move past.  That choice is PURELY up to you and how it turns out depends on the decisions you choose to make.  Transition is what you make of it.  You will only get out of transition, what you put into it.

If you make the effort and do what you're supposed to, you will have a good transition.  If you are a lazy, don't put in the effort and sit around and pout and self-pity, you will not have a good transition.  Only YOU have the power to decide what it will be.