Coping Combos

Different coping strategies help in different ways—some calm your body, others shift your thoughts, and some connect you to others. Using more than one coping skill at a time can make them even more effective, especially when the gender dysphoria feels intense. (Usar más de una habilidad de afrontamiento a la vez puede hacerlas aún más efectivas, especialmente cuando la disforia de género se siente intensa.)

We encourage you to mix, match, or combine the coping skills to make your own coping combos!

illustration of a person stacking puzzle pieces

Example Coping Combos

Gender Dysphoria Trigger	Coping Combo
I feel sad that I waited too long to transition.	I could call up a trans friend (community connection) and ask them to watch a movie with me (zone out time).
I caught an unexpected glimpse of my body in the mirror.	I can engage in slow, intentional breaths (square breathing) and check in on my needs (HALT).
A classmate made transphobic comments.	I can refrain from telling my classmates that I am trans until it feels unsafe (selective disclosure) while exploring an object to bring down my anxiety and anger (sensory grounding).
My aunt misgendered me again.	I can choose not to respond to her or play on my phone (distancing from social gender dysphoria) while engaging in hopeful thoughts that one day she will understand that my gender identity is real and important (hope flip)
I tried on a new shirt in a store that accented parts of my body I don’t feel comfortable with.	I can accept that the gender dysphoria is intense in this moment (ride the wave) and go on a walk to clear my mind (break the loop)
A stranger made non-affirming comments about my body.	I could put on my favorite outfit (affirm and feel) while telling myself that in the future all of my outfits are going to feel affirming (hope flip).

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