My therapist has reminded me that I foresaw this, but I don’t think I correctly anticipated how much better it would make me feel.

I was raised believing that gender is a social construct. At some level, I think I was skeptical that the hormones would make me feel better. I was convinced that the effects of the hormones (e.g. fat distribution and skin tone changing) would be therapeutic, but I wasn’t anticipating my brain responding immediately, before the body had any time to show effects, as though I’d fed it intravenous happy juice, but that’s what it did.

I’ve never felt this well in my life. It’s not like I’m floating around on a wondrous pink cloud or anything, but it’s good.