I did get my doctorate, but ngl I did come pretty close to washing out midway through due to a depressive episode. Turns out the grad school experience is pretty unhealthy much of the time.

Oh hey it’s me eleven years ago

When I was in undergrad some of my friends and I were eating a late dinner in the dining hall when someone came in to say that someone had fallen in the river. It was the middle of winter at the time, so when we rushed out we saw that a man had fallen through the ice, perhaps while trying to cross, and was clinging to the edge of the hole while half submerged. He was pretty far out and we didn’t know how stable the ice was, so we tied our scarves together and bound them to a thick stick. I had to try a few times but eventually succeeded in throwing the weighted end to him and dragging him to the bank. Unfortunately the dude was really unpleasant and said something horribly racist to a black woman who was standing with us, apropos of nothing. We left immediately after ensuring that he was no longer in mortal peril, as it looked like news vehicles were starting to show up and we didn’t want any part of that.

Hey, I don’t know if anyone is ever going to go back and read a thread this old. If you have and are reading this, since making the original comment I have started HRT. Moreover, it did, almost immediately, alleviate the depression and vague sense of impending dread that I had felt my entire adult life. I’m 9 months in and can confirm that this change is not temporary euphoria but appears to be a permanent improvement in my state of mind and wellbeing. If you’re in a similar place to where I was a year ago, take heed and best of luck.

Being beautiful is a superpower, disregarding gender. I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of “cis” people who are not conventionally attractive would choose to take this deal purely for the social benefits.

This description matches my experience closely. I haven’t started HRT for several reasons, but I am curious to know whether it would address the depression that has been the background radiation of my adulthood.