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randomly had a thought and now iām doubting my therianthropy. iām 13 and iāve been awakened for over 3 months and in that time kinda obsessed over being a therian, which i guess could be normal for newly awakened therians. iāve done a crap ton of research and iām pretty sure i know almost everything there is to know about therianthropy n stuff besides the super specific stuff. idk. anyways.
thinking about therianthropy from a non therian, or even anti therian, perspective. it doesnt seem like iām a real therian, like, how can it be a real thing? idk. i feel like its real for others, like you adult therians who have been awakened for years, or people who were awakened as a young (iām talking under 8 y/o) child.
iāve basically convinced myself iām a therian. even tho the whole reason im making this post is because iām doubting im a ārealā therian, i think itād take me a long time now to convince myself iām not a therian. looking back on my earlier childhood (at 8-10 yrs old) i had very wolfy behaviours but this couldāve been due to a make-believe game me and my friends used to play, which i took to far sometimes and srsly thought i was a shapeshifter. it couldāve been normal little kid behaviour.
iāve read similar vent posts to this and the common response seems to be that if itās just a phase thats ok, that doesnāt mean itās unimportant, etc etc. but i donāt wanna be wasting myself on therianthropy if iām not one, i feel kinda stupid. i feel like itās very possible for kids especially my age and younger, to convince themselves of stuff. maybe all the mental shifts iāve experienced are just normal experiences. ordinary humans can get animalistic urges and experiences.
iāve had 5 or so not very intense mental shifts since iāve awakened, countless daily phantom shifts, i do quads when i can and iām alone because frankly its fun and makes me feel more like an animal, i donāt own any gear, i get species euphoria n stuff, and iām a psychological therian, i donāt get past life flashbacks and i donāt think my therianthropy is because of reincarnation.
iāve basically fully invested myself into the therian community, iām super active on this sub and literally read every single post. i guess i fit all the criteria of being a therian, i even get species dysphoria. i identify as a cat and a wolf. i get involuntary animalistic experiences- but what if iām just convincing myself itās involuntary? theres just a lil worry in the back of my mind that iām not a real therian.
itās 5:30 in the morning and i had a crap ton of caffine and havenāt slept at all so that could be why iām currently overthinking. basically what the title says, either looking for advice or reassurance, or tell me the truth if you donāt think iām a therian.
thanks<3
You're overthinking things, and this is also common. The whole "how can this be real" is a pretty common feeling to have.
My advice: stop worrying about what you call yourself. Stop worrying about the community. Just be yourself, live your life. Do what comes naturally, and don't second-guess yourself. Want to run on all fours when nobody's watching? Great, just do so! Imagine yourself as a cat or wolf when you close your eyes? Go ahead! Just BE YOURSELF. There's no status or prestige in being a therian anyway, so whether you are one or you'll grow out of it... what does it matter? Honestly.
But it's actually quite common among therians to go through a period of doubt like this, especially when it's somewhat recent after awakening. 3 months is a blink of an eye. In 10 years maybe, you'll look back at this time of your life and think "oh, how silly and dramatic I was during my awakening". Because awakening isn't a thing that takes a day. It's a process that often takes years. Which is why I always wonder what people mean when they say they've been awakened for so-and-so many weeks or months. To me it's like saying "I grew up three months ago"... It's not a singular event, it's a process.
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I know, it's difficult. I've been there too. But a common method in therapy when handling anxiety and worry, is to really verbalize "what is the worst thing that could happen?" -> is it really that bad? And is it really that likely?
If the worst thing that could happen is that you aren't a therian, but maybe a furry, or just really love animals, or being a bit intense in your daydreams... Then none of that is actually bad. It can be embarrassing to have been mistaken, sure. But that's all there is. Because there are other communities for those other experiences, so you'll never be alone anyway.
"Wasting" three months (or for that matter, three years) on using the wrong label is ... not a big deal. At all. People have been mistaken about other identities as well. Sexual orientation, gender, what they want to become when they grow up, whatever. People start dating someone, then realise they don't actually like that person... All of that is fine!
But yeah, anyway. That kind of self-doubt is common. I guess it's easy for me to say "don't worry", but... in the end, it's your brain. Go out and touch some grass. Take a deep breath. If you are a cat or a wolf, you'll still be that. No amount of worrying will solve that.
If you don't mind me giving a bit of pagan advice... There's this quote from HƔvamƔl, and old Norse poem.
"The unwise man is awake all night,
and ponders everything over;
when morning comes he is weary in mind,
and all is a burden as ever."