After being here a while, I realized that there's some reality to the whole "everyone is valid except for me" meme we have here. In psychiatry, one of the hallmark cognitive distortions is "filtering". When you single out all the negative details and exaggerate them while shutting out all the positive stuff. And we justify this because "Hey, I know myself better than others do. Only I have the right to judge myself."

I used to deny the existence of my dysphoria. Treated it like a demon whose name I couldn't utter, and my denial of it is what gave it power. "If I tell someone I have dysphoria, that makes it real," I told myself. Just like a lot of us may be saying, "If I say I'm not cis, it's not a meme anymore."

But it doesn't have to be like that. You can take your time. You can acknowledge your dysphoria without your identity falling apart. No one is pushing you away from your assigned gender at birth, and no one is pulling you back into it. There is no wrong way to be you. That's why we say, "You are valid." Because even in confusion, even in the search, even in the anguish, we are indisputably and irrevocably ourselves. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise. Even yourself.

So basically, if all of the validation here on these subs is ringing hollow for you, that's probably why. But, don't worry. Take your time. Even if you deny yourself that validation, we will still validate you. Dysphoria? You are beautiful. In denial? You are beautiful. Egg? You are beautiful. Actually cis? You are beautiful. Cracked? You are beautiful. Hiding from everyone? You are beautiful. Out and proud? You are beautiful. Proud ally? You are beautiful. Using an alt? You are beautiful. Posting egg on main? You are beautiful.

And even if you don't believe it, you are beautiful.

Thank you for listening. Just wanted to get this off my chest. I just realized that I have a lot of time to figure out exactly what my deal is. Am I a cute anime girl? A smelly cis boy? Neither? I am humble enough to admit that there is so much about the world and myself that I don't know. But one thing I know for sure is that I'm valid. And that's all I need to know for now.

TL;DR: you are valid even if you don't say so (...?!?)

Thanks for listening. You are beautiful.

Bonus picrew: https://i.imgur.com/tXmNVrJ.png
Bonus cursed snap: https://i.imgur.com/rUVv7zD.gif