Self-Care in Turbulent Times: Holding Ground as a Trans or Gender-Diverse Person

It’s hard to overstate how exhausting it can feel to simply exist right now as a trans or gender-diverse person. The constant noise — headlines that question your humanity, policies that police your body, comments that misunderstand or erase who you are — takes a real toll.

The world may be loud right now, but your existence is not up for debate. You are worthy of rest, love, and care — exactly as you are.

And while resilience is something our community knows well, it shouldn’t always have to be a survival skill. True self-care in moments like these isn’t about “staying positive” or “rising above.” It’s about tending to your nervous system, protecting your peace, and giving yourself permission to rest in your full, complex humanity.

Here are a few ways to practice self-care — not as a luxury, but as an act of resistance and self-preservation.

1. Start with your body

When the world feels unsafe, our bodies carry that story — through tension, fatigue, or numbness. Grounding in your physical self can gently signal to your nervous system: you are here, you are safe enough right now.

• Take three slow breaths, focusing on your exhale.

• Notice where your body makes contact with the ground, your chair, or your bed.

• Stretch, shake, or move in any way that feels intuitive.

If you’re on hormone therapy or other gender-affirming care, tending to your physical well-being — hydration, nutrition, sleep — can be an extension of that same affirmation: your body deserves care and stability.

2. Protect your digital and emotional space

You don’t have to read every headline or engage every argument. Curate your feeds intentionally. Mute, unfollow, or block as needed — not out of avoidance, but out of preservation.

Follow voices that make you feel seen, not scrutinized. Schedule intentional breaks from social media. Replace doom-scrolling with something small and soothing — a playlist that centers joy, a comfort show, or a walk outside.

3. Connect with your people

Community care is self-care. Reach out to the friends, chosen family, or online spaces that remind you who you are outside of public discourse. You don’t have to talk about transphobia or politics unless you want to. You can talk about your favorite meals, your latest creative project, or that meme that made you laugh too hard.

Every connection that reminds you you’re real, loved, and not alone is a thread back to yourself.

4. Give yourself permission to rest

Fatigue in times like these isn’t weakness — it’s data. Your system is telling you it’s overloaded. Resting doesn’t mean you’ve checked out; it means you’re refueling for the long arc of being human.

Take naps. Step away. Let things be unfinished. Survival is not the same as living — but rest is what helps bridge that gap.

5. Reclaim small moments of joy

Joy can feel radical when the world seems intent on erasing you. But it’s yours to keep.

It might look like brewing your favorite tea, wearing something that makes you feel aligned, journaling in a safe space, or listening to an artist who reminds you that beauty still exists. Joy doesn’t erase pain — it coexists with it, proof that even in the hardest moments, you remain whole.

You are not alone. You never were.

At True U Clinic, we believe that care — including self-care — should always affirm your identity, your safety, and your right to exist fully. The world may be loud right now, but your existence is not up for debate. You are worthy of rest, love, and care — exactly as you are.

If you’re struggling, reach out. Our team offers gender-affirming care that honors your body, your choices, and your humanity.
Learn more about care at True U →

If you need support right now

If you’re in crisis, or just need someone to listen — confidentially and without judgment — these national hotlines are here for you:

• Trans Lifeline — Peer support run by and for trans people:
  📞 877-565-8860 (U.S.) | 877-330-6366 (Canada)
  🌐 translifeline.org

• The Trevor Project — 24/7 crisis support for LGBTQ+ youth:
  📞 Call or text 988, then press 3
  💬 thetrevorproject.org/get-help

• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline — Free, confidential emotional support for anyone in distress:
  📞 Call or text 988 | 💬 988lifeline.org

Keep these resources close — not because you should need them, but because you deserve every form of care available to you.