How to Make Sense of Your Dysphoric Feelings!

Dr. Z shares three ways to make sense of what your gender dysphoria is trying to tell you—three ways to have an understanding of gender dysphoric feelings naturally.

Gender dysphoria is a psychological distress that a lot of people feel when they feel incongruent or in disalignment with their assigned gender. Experiencing gender dysphoria does not automatically mean you are transgender—it just means you're having distress stemming from incongruency between assigned gender and the gender you feel more comfortable in. This leaves a lot of room to consider other factors.

If you're starting to experience or have been experiencing gender dysphoria, Dr. Z encourages you to consider three aspects of gender: identity (deep felt sense of who you are), role (how you're perceived regarding gender, what role you occupy, societal expectations), and expression (how you outwardly express yourself through clothing, makeup, hair, accessories, presentation).

Why is considering each of these three important? Because all three may stem from different things and may require different solutions to resolve the conflict.

Watch this video as Dr. Z addresses why identity, role, and expression don't have to be synonymous, how all three can be affected simultaneously or separately, and why understanding these vectors helps you decide what steps to take to alleviate what you feel.