Transition is rarely a straight line. For me, it has felt like rebooting my whole sense of self, learning to exist fully in a body and identity that finally feel authentic. Some days are slow, some days feel like breakthroughs, but every glitch, pause, or recalibration has revealed parts of myself I never knew were waiting. This blog is a personal reflection on navigating that journey and finding the rhythm of living as my true self.

Some counsellors also have another job. I work in an office role within education, and for a long time I didn’t realise how much of myself I was leaving there at the end of each day. I wasn’t lazy or disengaged. I cared, and because I cared, I kept investing more time, energy, and attention than I actually had available.

This reflection explores how I began thinking about stress in terms of resources, learning when effort is helpful and when it quietly drains me, and why leaving work at work has been one of the most important changes I’ve made for my wellbeing and my relationships.