Lately I've been very occupied with thoughts of my sexuality and being in the closet and how suffocating it feels for me sometimes; I've even started having major troubles falling asleep (I can stay awake for practically a whole night because of all the anxiety it gives me..), and that is a big problem as I obviously need my sleep. Part of me really wants to shout it out to the entire world but another part of me is extremely ashamed of being gay and therefore doesn't want to come out. Just imagining coming out can bring me to the brink of having a panic attack, but at the same time I think my shame won't completely go away until I'm fully out. It's just so hard to know if I'm ready or not especially being as conflicted as I am currently. I know that ultimately I'm the one who needs to decide whether or not I'm ready to come out but I hope you guys can still give me advice on this and/or tell me what you would to if you were in my situation. I really hope I can get some good advice on here because I'm desperate D: Thanks.
I'd recommend thinking of someone to serve as your "starting point". Think of a family member/sibling/friend that would take your coming out the best. You don't need to tell everyone you know all at once, just start small and gradually work your way up.
"I really hope I can get some good advice on here because I'm desperate " You are not desperate. Just hopeless. Please be a bit more positive. Here's a quote if it helps you out - Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it
I think you will be ready when you stop feeling ashamed about being gay. As someone said before, maybe you can start telling one person and then you will see if you start feeling more comfortable.
I am constantly thinking about coming out... I'm consumed by thoughts of others judgements... My conscious says that it is the right thing to come out but in reality I'm just too afraid to. How to I bring up the courage to tell people my sexuality or any other thing I feel uncomfortable saying...:bang:
Neither my family or friends are homophobic -- this I know for sure. But I still have this worry that they might secretly look at me as shameful or "wrong" if I come out.
Why don't you try to subtly find out how they feel about LGBTQ even if they aren't homophobic? Try to bring it up in a conversation or something and see how they react? It might help you figure out their opinions.
My mom and I have talked about it before and she's accepting of homosexuality and I'm pretty sure my dad is as well -- or that he at least ultimately wouldn't care if I came out since my own happiness would be most important. I don't think subtly talking to them about it would be a good idea because I'm sure they would get suspicious since we never really talk about things like that to begin with. But again, I'm already quite confident in where they stand on these issues and having given it a couple of days, I've decided not to come out just yet but perhaps sometime in the near future. Thank you all for your advice!
