Life isn’t easy for anyone, but when you are a person who is coming to terms with their sexuality and gender expression, it can be a whole lot more complicated. Every person has both their needs and insecurities. We all struggle with ourselves and finding who we are. LGBTQ+ people just have a specific form of self-discovery. Whoever you are and whatever your life is like, below are five ways to improve your life as an LGBTQ+ person.
Get Sober
The LGBTQ+ community struggles more with substance abuse and addiction more than straight and cis-gendered people. The reasons aren’t too hard to find. They might not be accepted by their family and use drugs and alcohol to forget. There could be self-loathing or a lack of self-acceptance that leads to drug use. There is a lot of physical and emotional trauma that goes into growing up as a gay person, especially in the past.
Luckily, there are plenty of resources to help people get sober when they need it the most. There are even rehab programs for LGTBQ+ people, allowing people who need help to get the treatment they need in an accepting and welcoming environment. One of the best ways to improve anyone’s life is to get sober.
Let Go of Vanity
Vanity is not on your side. There are plenty of ways that vanity negatively impacts you, but one of them is your ability to engage with other people. Often vanity comes from a place of insecurity. You might be afraid that people won’t like you if you aren’t looking great. The focus on the body can be a little extreme. When a gay man compares himself to other gay men, there can be self-esteem issues that turn into vanity. Vanity isn’t healthy. It doesn’t help your life in general or as a gay person.
Go to the Gym for the Right Reasons
Continuing with this theme, it’s important to make sure you are going to the gym for the right reasons. Exercising should be about your health and happiness first, not how you look or what other people think about you. Going to the gym and working out in general should be about your mental and physical health. It should be about the way you feel about yourself. It isn’t a good idea to go to the gym or lift weights for other people. Exercise because it makes you feel better, and the looks will follow.
Don’t Let Others’ Opinions Define You
Whether it’s your body or your sexuality, one of the traps a lot of LGBTQ+ people fall into is allowing the opinions of others to define you. Even your parents shouldn’t be in your head. No matter what people have said to you, how they feel about your lifestyle, or the judgment gay people put on each other, you should never let other people’s opinions affect you. Your opinion of yourself should be based on your character. This isn’t easy for a lot of gay people who grew up with disappointed parents, but if you allow people to define you, you’ll never be able to define yourself.
Embrace Community
Finally, all the problems and obstacles you encounter as an LGBTQ+ person have been experienced by someone else in the community. Community is one of the best things we have. That’s why it is so harmful when gay people judge each other or gossip about each other. Embracing the community and the relationships you can create will help you lead a happier, more fulfilled life. You’re not going to change the opinions people have, but you can choose to create your own family and live the life you envision for yourself. Community is everything.
Improving your life is never easy, and gay people have more challenges in this regard than straight people do. However, there are plenty of things you can do to make your life better. You can feel great about yourself, your life, and your sexuality. There’s no need to compromise. If you like who you are and do what you can to live a life of integrity, you will be a lot happier in your skin. So, if you’re not happy try these five methods and go from there.
