What You Need to Know About Coming Out

By Alyssa Martinez @ItsMariaAlyssa

The most important thing you should know about coming out is that you should do it when you're ready. You don't have to come out if you're not prepared to do so or don't feel comfortable doing so. Coming out to friends and family could leave you feeling less stressed because you're no longer hiding a secret from the ones you love, but it's still your business. If you feel like it's something the world doesn't need to know, you can keep it to yourself until you're ready to talk about it with others.

Although it may be frightening for you, it's important to know that coming out is often such a liberating experience. Those who truly love and care for you will accept you for the person you are no matter your sexual preference. Choosing to come out is such a brave move to make and it's something that could inspire a lot of other people to come out, too.

There are a lot of people who are concerned about coming out because they don't know how their loved ones are going to react to the situation when they bring up the subject. They may be afraid they won't get accepted by their peers or they may assume that people will start thinking of them in a different way. If anyone is ever courageous enough to tell you about their sexual preference, you should make sure to let them know you don't think of them any differently.

Those who are a bit younger tend to worry a bit more about their peers because bullying often takes place in school environments. While a younger person may be concerned about coming out to friends and family while attending school and dealing with judgment from certain peers, an older adult who is coming out may be worried about what his or her children or loved ones think of them.

Don't judge people based on their initial reaction to the news they've just head. It's normal for some people to go through a bit of a shock in the beginning, but that doesn't mean they're not going to accept you for who you are. They may just need some extra time to process everything you've just told them. In some instances, family members and friends aren't always accepting at first, but their minds may change in the near future.

If you don't know how to approach the subject, you can always choose to write a message to some of your friends and family members letting them know you're coming out. They'll be able to read the message, process their own thoughts, and then contact you when they're ready to talk things over with you. It's a great way to go about things if you're feeling a bit too nervous to discuss things face-to-face. If you feel things are getting too much the LGBT therapy may help you come to terms with the task at hand according to Claritychi.com.

You have the control over who gets to find out and who doesn't. Make sure you're choosing how to tell people in the right way so that you'll get to keep the full control over who finds out because you don't want to tell the wrong people first and then have them telling everyone else about your situation. Let the people you tell know that you don't want them spreading your business all around and that you'd much rather prefer to tell people on your own time when you're feeling comfortable enough.

Always make the time to talk to those who are most supportive before telling those who may react a bit differently. Having the extra support is a great way to boost your confidence before coming out to the people in your life who may not be as accepting of it. If someone else in your life is LGBT, make sure you're listening to them and understanding without forcing them to tell you anything about their sexual preference. A person should be able to come out when he or she is ready to do so and shouldn't be forced to come out simply because others chose to talk about it behind their back.

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