Forty-one percent of trans people attempt suicide. Some of this is due to the horrendous way trans people are treated by society, but a lot of it is also due the fact that so many suffer from gender dysphoria. Gender dysphoria is intensely painful and is something a lot of trans people don't know how to navigate. So as someone who has suffered from it, I thought it would be helpful to mention a few things that have worked for alleviating my dysphoria.

1. Be Mindful

Dysphoria can quickly bring you to a terrible place. When my dysphoria starts to get overwhelming, I try to practice mindfullness. Mindfullness refers to the practice of focusing completely on the present moment and nothing else. An exercise I like to do is to pick up an object and focus intensely on it --list in your mind how it looks, how it feels, etc. Doing so can help take the focus off your dysphoria for a least a little bit.

2. Create Something

Whenever my dysphoria is really strong, I always like to write something about it. I sometimes write poetry, sometimes I write fictional stories, and sometimes I just write down my thoughts. I never share it with anyone, but just writing it always makes me feel better. I also have several trans friends who draw something when they are dealing with dysphoria. In general, just doing something productive with your dysphoria can be tremendously helpful.

3. Take A Walk (if possible)

Taking a walk can be great for clearing your mind. I find that whenever I'm feeling particularly dysphoric, taking a 15 minute walk often helps my mood dramatically. Of course, for some trans people going out in public is a source of dysphoria and could even be unsafe. In those cases, of course, don't push yourself. But it's something to keep in mind.

4. Talk To Other Trans People

We often think of self-care as being entirely based around oneself but it can actually involve others as well. Talking to other trans people for me has always been very cathartic because I know other trans people are more likely to understand what I am going through.

5. Breathe

Dysphoria and anxiety often go hand in hand. Sometimes when I feel dysphoric, I almost feel like I'm drowning. At the risk of sounding cliche, I've found that just stopping to take a few deep breaths can help my anxiety levels stabilize a bit. The good thing about deep breathing is that it's extremely easy to do, so you can do it whenever and wherever you need to.