Feel Like You Are Faking It or Trespassing? | How to Overcome Gender Imposter Syndrome!
Feeling like you're trespassing or faking it? Dr. Z explains the comfort zone concept and why this feeling goes away.
This feeling arises when you start presenting as your authentic gender (middle of transition) or post-transition when you're in gendered spaces. You feel like you're in uncharted territory. Here's where it comes from:
Imagine a bullseye. Center: your ultimate comfort zone (home, work, friends—where you feel most comfortable being yourself). Next ring out: starting to get comfortable but not fully yet, taking new experiences. Outer ring: where you want to go but haven't gone yet—the zone of severe discomfort. This is where you feel like trespassing when you step into it.
You spent 20-60 years living in the comfort zone of gender assigned at birth. That was familiar territory—you knew how to navigate it. Now you're stepping into completely different social terrain you don't know anything about. This lack of adaptability creates the trespassing feeling and imposter syndrome.
Watch to find out why it's just like starting a new job (you don't know colleagues, your role, responsibilities—you feel like you're trespassing until you adapt), why adaptability takes time, and why this feeling is NOT an indication you're not transgender or made a mistake.
