Cope With Gender Dysphoria
It's difficult for transgender or gender variant people to handle their dysphoria. Some may wish to embrace it and begin transition, while others may wish to alleviate the dysphoria altogether. There is no easy fix; however, one thing will always be true, and that is that you should never take action out of desperation or out of thinking there is a grand solution that will make all of your problems instantly go away. Remain calm and relax. As for a self image, whether it has something to do with the chest, voice, or even clothes and hair, it requires a lot of strength to handle these feelings when you are feeling so uncomfortable with yourself. Here are ways of easing your gender dysphoria.
Contents
Steps
- Have hope. Have faith in yourself. You might feel as if your life won't get any better, but know that you live in a time where you can actually be helped. You have the chance to become who you are supposed to be. Remember that there are plenty of people who went through similar experiences to what you are going through. You are not alone and you are definitely not weird. There are plenty of transgender people out there living happy and healthy lives.
- Express what you feel. Expressing yourself in any way you want can help you cope with the situation. It could be drawing, writing, painting, or even running. Find whatever ways that can help you deal with your dysphoria. It's important to let all of your internal feelings out so you can let go of these negative emotions. These negative emotions can really hurt you in a mental and physical way. Some people try to repress their emotions and they are likely to become passive-aggressive or very unhappy. You might feel like you are broken or as if there is something wrong with you. These negative emotions can physically harm you and you could develop diseases due to stress or depression. It can be anything.
- Take a deep breath. Relax. Breathe in and out when you feel as if your worries might overwhelm you. Being balanced can help you dealing with your emotions. Meditation and yoga are ways of developing this ability to relax.
- Understand what you are feeling. Do research on transgender people and gender dysphoria. There are plenty of videos on YouTube on gender dysphoria. Transgender people have an inherent feeling that there is something wrong with their assigned sex. Just because you might be a boy who feels more comfortable dressing like a girl, doesn't mean you instantly are transgender. You might be non-binary, having a gender identity that doesn't adhere to the gender binary, and be experiencing dysphoria. It can still be difficult, since society has a hard time dealing with anyone who doesn't fit the box. Understand that it is totally okay the way you are feeling and that you are a wonderful human being no matter what.
- Everyone comes in many different shapes and sizes. Everyone has their own ways of expressing who they are (walk, dress, voice pitch. etc). Embrace your uniqueness. Don't let society define who you are, it is up to you to define who you are.
- Listen to yourself. Do not listen to people who try to say your gender dysphoria is like BDD or it's "nothing". Your dysphoria is a piece of who you are, which happens to be uncomfortable with your assigned sex. It's the need to be comfortable in your own body and to be happy.
- Have a good friend. It can help a lot if you know someone that you can trust to listening to you and understands what you are feeling and what you are going through. It can be a real relief to be able to express yourself and talk to someone freely. The feeling that you are being listened to and understood is important. You can look up forums for trans people and connect to others online. Your could use Skype or any other social media to talk to people like you. There are people who are in the same situation that you are in right now. You might be surprise by the amount of people that are looking for others to talk to about their dysphoria.
- Talk to yourself (literally). It doesn't make you crazy. Many people talk to themselves, because it is a way to release the emotion you are bottling up inside. Some people have compared talking to yourself to crying. These are methods of releasing sadness or stress.
- Find items that aid in presentation for trans people. These include binders, packers, and breast forms. You can tuck as well.
- While you cannot wear these items 24/7, it can help you with dysphoria in public or other short-term situations.
Tips
- Cry if you must. It's okay to cry, because it very important to let out. It's unhealthy to keep all your emotions bottled up inside.
- Our emotions can be just like the weather. No one is "100%" happy or calm. There are times where we feel sad, upset or even angry. But just remember that feeling upset won't continue forever. Feeling sad or upset can arrive suddenly and may be impossible for you stop it, but see it like the rain, eventually it will stop and sun will come out and shine again.
- If you want, look into getting breast forms, a binder, a packer, or other items that might help ease dysphoria about your appearance. Sometimes the little things can affect your life more than you think.
Warnings
- If you find yourself considering suicide please reach out. The Trevor Project (866-488-7386) or the Trans Lifeline (877-565-8860) can help you.
