I am looking for any advice about dealing with gender dysphoria while on your period. I really hate when it happens, and my dysphoria has seemed to worsen since I started to realize and accept who I am. I already know I hardly pass (more of a personal problem, that I hope to improve soon) and feel pretty bad about it, but, when it's that time o' the month, it worsens... I actually happened to get it when I was hitting on this guy, and my confidence just shriveled up and died. I was fortunate enough to have my best friend there as my wing man, but he was the one the guy ended up falling for; totally crushed me, but we became pretty great friends in the end. I've read some of the other posts on here about dealing with your period if you're trans*, and what to do to make it less noticeable, but I'd really like to just focus on the emotional aspect and toll of periods. Advice is welcome, and I'd love insight on anyone else's "periodic rituals" that they feel I could/should give a try. Thanks so much!
Hi, it seems like we are alike, in that way. I am not alway's dysphoric about my periods, though. I think that you should go somewhere private and have a good cry. Do this in the night, if you show that you cry. A good cry seems to calm peopl down a lot.
Honestly, I just retreat to my house and lay around watching Netflix until it's over. I drink green tea and try to eat healthy and resist cravings or I get foggy and feel more sad. Eat fruit or chocolate that is 75% cocoa. My method of dealing with it is to not think about it and just basically put life on hold until it's through. But that's just me.
Personally, I've been dealing with this a lot recently, and unfortunately, there's not a whole lot of security when it comes to it. Sometimes I attempt to sort of make up for that by dealing with other areas I tend to be dysphoric about. It helps me feel like I have a sense of control, but this doesn't always help. Another important thing is to realize you don't have control over it, and to mourn that control. For now, that's not something you can have power over, at least not until you're on hormones. So, to avoid that can-anybody-tell feeling you get when you go out and it strikes hard, your best, honest bet is to just stay in. For me, at least, the dysphoria is worse when I feel like someone else has the chance to notice (but this is amplified with an anxiety problem.) That being said, I know it can suck. And it really does. If you just need to vent to someone who can sympathize, you can drop a message on my wall. Good luck! (*hug*)
I know this is a lot harder than I'm going to make it out to be. I try to remember that menstruating is something that happens in my body, but it says nothing about me. If I fart in my sleep that doesn't necessarily mark me as gross and if I bleed once a month that doesn't mark me as feminine. Menstruating tells me that as my body is set up right now everything is working properly and that I'm not pregnant. TL;DR: it isn't a gendered body, its your body
I either stress about my period or stress when I skip cause I'm not on T so skipping could be bad (me now have sex, me no preggers) health wise. Any time I'm bout to start my period I have nightmares and don't want to go out in public. During it I usually curl up on the couch and sleep it away and binge watch Netflix while chowing down Or I sleep it off and refuse to eat The pain level of the cramps deciders which. Sometimes in have periods that hurt so bad that I pace the house for hours and double over in pain. Really only way to deal with it is to just tell ya self it will be over soon.
You want to focus more on the emotional/mental side? Well, I do everything I can to make myself as physically comfortable as possible. Pain relief. Baggy clothes. Pain relief. Y'know, whatever helps you. And then after that. I just do lots of things to take me out of my body and surroundings. Creative things. If you have any sort of hobby/outlet then that's good. Sometimes I just get on my bike and put my noise cancelling headphones on and just scream/sing really loud. I also watch a lot of comedy.
Think of it this way: the fact that you spew a gallon of blood from your body every month doesn't make you feminine, it makes you 100 times more metal than any cisman can ever hope to be Seriously though, like what others have said, really the only thing to do is to do something to take your mind off of it, do something you like to distract yourself. I remorselessly eat everything in the house, binge on netflix, and laugh maniacally while playing ultra-violent video games. Also, lots of crying. Which is perfectly fine.
