The Vicious Cycle of Dysphoria & Coping Skills That Keep You Stuck!
The vicious, nasty cycle that keeps you stuck: Gender dysphoria is a distress signal—your body, psyche, whole being is placing a phone call to your conscious self, saying "something is wrong with your gender." When you pick up that phone call and realize you're struggling, you run for medicine, for that which will make you feel better.
The problem: Most people don't have healthy tools to cope with dysphoria. You gravitate toward coping—drinking, drugs, self-harm, overeating, over-exercising, throwing yourself into work, emotional eating, watching TV to escape, avoidance. Some have healthier coping, like journaling or talking to someone. Regardless, all coping has ONE thing in common: avoidance of who you are and avoidance of taking actionable steps toward your future.
The cycle: You cope, dysphoria quiets down a bit (you put the puppy on a retractable leash—it's still there, just controlled). You tell yourself, "I'm managing this!" But you're spending energy quieting it down while everything else in your life suffers—health, relationships, productivity, confidence, self-esteem. This creates depression and helplessness, making you feel even less capable of doing anything.
Watch to find out why YOU are creating this cycle, how long is too long for coping, and what "dealing with dysphoria" actually means (hint: doesn't require giant leaps).
