Mental Gender Dysphoria Triggers
Mental gender dysphoria – has to do with our thoughts and feelings. (Disforia de género mental – tiene que ver con nuestros pensamientos y emociones.)
One common thing that can trigger mental gender dysphoria is when we compare ourselves to other people. For instance, if we see someone who is also trans and/or nonbinary and we start comparing our own progress or our bodies to theirs.
Another thing that can trigger mental gender dysphoria is when we have negative thoughts about our own gender. We might think things like “I’ll never look like the gender I identify with” or “people will always use the wrong pronouns for me.”
Teens have also described mental gender dysphoria as a disconnect between how they see themselves in their mind and how their body might not match that image. It’s like the way you imagine yourself when your eyes are closed and how that might differ from the body you see when you open them. This gap can create a sense of distress and discomfort. (Adolescentes han descrito la disforia de género mental como una incongruencia entre cómo se ven en su mente y cómo se ve su cuerpo. Esta incongruencia o diferencia entre cómo visualizas tu cuerpo con los ojos cerrados y cómo se ve cuando los abres, crea incomodidad y estrés.)
Mental, physical, and social gender dysphoria can all blend together and make gender dysphoria feel worse. It’s less important to label the type of gender dysphoria and more important to notice what people, situations, or thoughts trigger it for you. When you know your triggers, you can take steps to care for yourself! (Los diferentes aspectos de la disforia de género – física, social, y mental – pueden combinarse para empeorar la disforia de género. Es menos importante el etiquetar el tipo de disforia de género y más importante el darse cuenta que personas, situaciones, o pensamientos la desatan para ti. Cuando conoces tus “triggers” puedes cuidarte mejor.)
The table below shows common mental gender dysphoria triggers. As you look at this portion of the table think about:
Which of the examples in the table are a trigger of mental gender dysphoria for you? (¿Cuáles ejemplos de la lista son un “trigger” de disforia de género mental para ti?)
Which triggers increase mental gender dysphoria the most? (¿Qué “triggers” aumentan más tu disforia de género mental?)
Are there triggers of mental gender dysphoria that are not in the table? (¿Hay algunos “triggers” de disforia de género mental no incluidos en la lista?)
Mental Gender Dysphoria
Now you’ll choose your five biggest mental gender dysphoria triggers to help you plan to cope.