Call you GP and make sure they actually sent the referral and get the specialist's information. It would in no way shock me if the referral was never sent, not out of malice, but out of incompetence or overwork.

Depending on your province, there may be one or two clinics seeing all the trans people, and there's nothing stopping you from phoning them and trying to self-refer--the worst that can happen is they'll say no, and even if they do, you can go back to your GP and say "refer me to these people please".

i don't know a whole lot about your situation, but it seems like you don't feel like you have a pulse on the process. so you might push your gp about it, ask when to check back, what to do if the specialist doesn't get back to them, etc

for managing your dysphoria otherwise, i've always felt like the worst of it tends to come from the lack of belief that you are your true gender. so i would recommend some affirmations and reading feminist literature. things like internalizing that your femininity isn't defined by "looking like a woman" and similar things

if you feel the wait time gets really bad, you could look into DIYing it. i would recommend taking quite a bit of time to learn and get comfortable with the terms, dosages, testing, etc. it's a lot of boring, clinical reading. and not something i would recommend as a first step, either. if you do, you're obviously taking your health into your own hands

I remember these days. Coming from someone who transitioned over a decade ago I know this anxiety well. Know this- your t poisoning won’t adversely affect your body any more than it already has. You’re only going to get better from here.

Take a deep breath and focus on the excitement of future change for the better. You’ll get there, I promise! Try to ease your mind as best as you can and know that you’re doing everything possible. 5 years from now this will all be a distant memory.

Thinking back to those times I don’t envy you. I was an anxious mess but that anxiety drove me from starting HRT to having full top and bottom surgery in 4 years time. It’ll drive you, but don’t let it control your entire life.

You’re doing it, my friend. You’re well on your way. 💜