Gender Dysphoria

Former Member

Hi so I didn’t really know whether to post this discussion into health and well-being or gender and sexuality because it kinda talks about both really, so I hope you don’t mind me posting it in this category.

TW *Gender Dysphoria*

So I have felt of myself as more of a man than a woman throughout all of my life, however I have repressed these feelings due to fear and uncertainty. However, recently these feelings surfaced and they surfaced very strongly and I came out as trans to my family and friends. However, with processing these emotions fully and coming out as trans, I am experiencing high amounts of gender dysphoria which make me feel sad and anxious. Some days my gender dysphoria is mild and on other days or hours even my Dysphoria is very strong, and I feel crippled by it. I do all of the stuff to try and ease it like binding etc. However sometimes even binding isn’t enough to make it subside and I don’t want to bind for too long, as that in itself can be very dangerous. So I was just wondering if there is anyone out there who has any tips on how to cope with gender dysphoria and how to ease gender dysphoria. Words of encouragement is also greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much. Hope you all have had lovely evenings

lovemimoon

Hi @Rose124

I've seen your previous posts and thank you for sharing this with us!

I identify as a cisgender female but had a friend who's trans (FTM) who struggles a lot of with gender dysphoria. I believe this has what has helped him cope:

• Mental health services: He confided in several helplines like Childline. It was his safe space to talk about his experience with dysphoria. I'll leave a couple at the end of the paragraph.
• Speaking to supportive friends & family: Having open dialogue about your gender identity with supportive family and friends - such as your preferred pronouns, using words and compliments that reflects your identity, etc. The more he opened up about it, the more he found it easier to be more comfortable with himself.
• Distractions & Activities: Days where he wanted some space alone, he had some activities planned (movie marathons, painting, music, etc).

I'm sorry this may not seem much but I hope it helps you in the long run.

Encouraging Words:
So I've seen on your previous thread that you came out to your friends and family, and congratulations!
You're going to embark on a long and difficult journey, and there will be days where things will be overwhelming, tiring, and stressful. And that's okay. A good friend of mine made a really insightful point:
"I think life isn’t about trying to stop lows from happening because they will happen, it’s more about learning about yourself and others and the world so that when you do have a low you know how to handle it and when you have a high you know how to take advantage of it."
"We need lows so that highs exist. The key is just mastering yourself and learning about how others work and how the world works."

No journey is perfect; there will be trials and errors along the way but as long as you take the time to have patience with yourself, you'll get through it. Don't be afraid to reach out for support, and the Mix will always be here for you!

Helplines:
So, for this, I've added helplines that offers support for both trans people and friends & families.

• The Beaumont Trust
• FTM London
• Kooth
• Mindline Trans+
• Mermaids
• The Gender Identity Research & Education Society
• LGBT Foundation
• Childline

You deserve all the love, hugs, support and happiness in the world!
Squidward dances in your honor:

Former Member

Just wanted to pop in and say myself that what you're going through is very common @Rose124 gender dysphoria affects so many trans people and can often make their lives much more difficult. Everything @lovemimoon has mentioned above is fantastic advice seeking someone you can talk to about all this or possible medical solutions is just about the best thing you can aim for and I really hope you're able to get the help you're looking for as soon as possible.

I will say this is also something that gets easier to deal with as time goes on, a lot of trans people I'm friends with have talked about how they've grown to accept things about their bodies over time or just found ways to cope that work for them specifically. I hope that for you it's sooner rather than later and one way or another you can be happy and living your best life.