Motivational Tip | Stop Beating Yourself Up!
You're beating the hell out of yourself—Dr. Z shares two essentials to stop the cycle and why stupidly small goals work.
No matter what stage you're at, you're beating yourself up. Early exploration: beating yourself up for not figuring it out sooner, not sharing with people around you. Mid-transition: should be further along, should have started sooner, should be better equipped. Haven't started: beating yourself up for not making doctor's appointments, not coming out to partners or family.
Beating yourself up feeds your inner golem. Every negative thought is like food—the more you feed the golem, the bigger it gets and the more food it demands. This creates a cycle where you think more negative thoughts, feel more weighted down, do less, then feel more guilt.
Two essentials: (1) Every day remind yourself "I'm going to do just the best I can." (2) Create stupidly small goals—so tiny they're laughable if you don't do them. Examples: get up, shower, make breakfast, take hormones, research one electrologist and call them.
Watch to find out why small steps accumulate (50 words a day equals a book by year's end), why consistency is key to successful transition, and how habituation to doing little things builds momentum.
