Naming the gender dysphoria as something outside of yourself that wants to control you. By recognizing and paying attention to when the gender dysphoria appears, you can figure out which coping skills will work for you. Also, knowing that you are separate from the gender dysphoria gives you room to fight against it. The more you practice using coping skills, the better you’ll get at resisting its control over your life!
Mindful Awareness
Four ways to ground yourself when you first start to notice the gender dysphoria. Externalization and mindful awareness work together. Externalization helps you recognize when the gender dysphoria appears, and mindful awareness helps you deal with it in that moment.
Types of Coping
Category
Definition
Skills
Deep Breathing
Intentionally concentrating on your breathing to create a sense of calm
Square breathing
Diaphragmatic breathing
Lion’s breath
Radical Acceptance
Acknowledging and embracing the gender dysphoria and the challenges associated with it, without fighting or judging it
Serenity statement
Focus on time
Sensory Grounding
Connecting with your senses to bring yourself into the present
5 4 3 2 1
Hold an object
Movement
Using physical movement to connect with your body and stay in the present
Six ways to actively respond to the gender dysphoria when it’s having a medium effect on you. These action steps involved taking direct action to fight against the gender dysphoria and prevent it from controlling you. During this section you named 12 unique action coping skills you could use!
Action Coping
Category
Definition
Skills
HALT
Checking in around physical needs (hungry, angry, lonely, tired)
Getting something to eat, checking in on your emotions, taking a nap, drinking some water
Hope
Believing that things will get easier in the future and that there will be more times when you feel good about your gender identity
Repeating hopeful statements to yourself about your future
Cognitive Reframe
Changing negative thoughts about yourself into neutral or more positive ones
Using positive self-talk, challenging negative self-talk, reflecting on gender affirming experiences
Gender Affirmation
Doing things that make you feel good about your gender and give you confidence
Wearing affirming clothes, thinking about the positive impacts of transition, wearing pronoun pin
Community Connection
Talking to and being around other trans and nonbinary people
Encouraging and messaging other trans and nonbinary people, sharing about my current gender dysphoria distress, hanging out with other trans and nonbinary people
Accessing Gender Euphoria
Engaging with thoughts or actions that celebrate and affirm your gender identity
Journaling about aspects of your gender that make you proud and positive affirming experiences
Six ways to deal with feeling really stressed by the gender dysphoria through avoidance. We talked about 12 different strategies you can use to avoid those overwhelming feelings of gender dysphoria.
Avoidant Coping
Skill
Definition
Examples
Distraction
Purposely focusing on something other than gender dysphoria
Active Distraction
Go on a walk, read a book, play video games, engage in a hobby
Passive Distraction
Watch TV, listen to music, listen to a podcast, taking a nap, daydream
Distancing
Staying away from things, spaces, or people that trigger your gender dysphoria
Distancing: Physical Gender Dysphoria
Avoid mirrors, photographs, social media
Distancing: Social Gender Dysphoria
Avoid anti-trans individuals, non-affirming folks, binary focused social events
Distancing: Places
Avoid bathrooms, locker rooms, conservative places, gender segregated spaces, stay at home
Selective Disclosure
Not sharing or disclosing trans or nonbinary identity
Do not share identity, do not discuss pre-transition experiences, avoid cisgender centered conversations, do not speak
