Do you think you can survive without C/Ding?

[Deborah Jane]

For those who can dress regularly, do you dress as often as you can?
If you had too, for any reason, could you survive without crossdressing, or could it, potentially cause you too many problems mentally or in other ways?

[victoriamwilliams1]

I can survive it is just could the people around me survive me! When I do not dress after long periods I get very agitated and may go off on the people around me! Dressing is like a drug and you got to do it even when you say you quit and your purge, it will come back and it can come back stronger.

[Cheryl T]

Survive is a good word.
I tried for years to hide my feminine side and all it did was cause mental anguish and pain. The stolen time to slip into something sexy, the lies to have that time all took their toll.

I could survive, but I don't know that I would be much good to anyone. Expressing my femininity is too much a part of my being to deny it again.

[Freddy12]

I could survive, but life would not be nearly as enjoyable. My feminine side was repressed for years. I am much happier when I express that side of me.

[Nadia-Maria]

yes, I could.

[kimdl93]

I'm one of the fortunate that can dress everyday, all day at home. Since I work from home, that's pretty near full time. But I have lived w/o dressing before so survival wouldn't be an issue - but I imagine I'd be more irritable and less happy. reasons enough to dress whenever I can.

[Angie G]

I've been dressing for almost 50 years and at time for some time. I came out to my wife 4 years ago. And have dress every day Even if just underdressing. If I had to stop now I be one unhappy Bitch.:hugs:
Angie

[Karren H]

I'd have to have some other outlet if crossdressing was removed but as long as I can keep playing ice hockey I can survive anything..

[Michelle123]

I'm sure I could survive, But I would be miserable much of the time.

[AKAMichelle]

Yes I could limp along without it.

[karen68]

I try to dress as much as I can, but would like to dress much more, and would love to go 24/7 but unfortuneatly at the moment that can't be so:sad: But I do dress regularly most evenings.:)
I couldn't live without it. It would be as if a big part of me would die and I would be very unhappy with my life.:sad

[Cary]

I think I could, but what fun would that be.

[Kelly Greene]

I can exist but I would not call it survival.
I strongly doubt that I would take my own life.
There would be a termendous amount of stress to deal with.

Kelly

[TGMarla]

I've gone on vacations with my wife at which times I am unable to dress for extended periods of time, like a week or two at a time. I handle it quite well, but when I get home and the opportunity to dress returns, I am quite ready to get all dolled up again. It seems, though, that the desire is very opportunistic, and when the opportunity is not there, the longing to dress gets less. Maybe that's for the best.

I still doubt that I'd do well with not being able to dress at all for extended periods of time, or if it was eliminated entirely. I think I'd get depressed and have all kinds of subliminal mental problems with it.

[erika130]

It depends a lot on my mood, some weeks I don't feel like dressing at all, don't even think about it
Other weeks, I can't wait to get dressed, feel feminine, girly, & it stays on my mind all day ;)
I'd say a few weeks I can go with out, but if I get in the mood, I dont know !

[Stina84]

I could survive but I would not like to live without dressing. It is simply too wonderful to express my feminine side to not do it.

When I've not dressed for a long period I become depressed and irritable. I feel much better if I get to dress once in a while.

[Kathi Lake]

Physically? Sure. No problem. Psychologically and spiritually? No.

I am who I am. To deny that is to deny myself. It's not just dressing. It's not just clothes. It is a safety valve to allow the femininity inside me to get out once in awhile.

Kathi

[Tina B.]

Yes I do dress as often as I can, and anymore that's most days.
survive, now thats a funny word. I don't think it would kill me to give it up. But to get me to try you are going to have to offer me something really special. When the urge comes on to dress and is not fulfilled, I really wind up being a nasty old man that even I can't stand to spend time with, not sure how the rest of the family would handle it. And when I used to get like that and my wife picked up on it she was the one that used to scream, why don't you just go put on a dress or something! Anything that would bring back the naturally sweet guy that I am.
So for me, no more denial of who and what I am, and no more being the martyr because I think it will make others happy, it doesn't. I might still be in the closet, but I try to keep the closet as big as possible.
Tina B.

[amanda w]

I would not make it I have goon for two weeks but was under dressing all the time so could i go with dressing no its my life I would get very depress and my mental state would take over so no

[gabimartini]

I could survive without it, and I have. However, being able to fully and openly express my CDing makes me a happier person!

[Alice Torn]

I only dress 2 or 3 times a month. i have gone six weeks without it. Later this month, i have to move back to my dad's place, to help him so he won't have to go into a nursing home. He despises me. It is one of my worst nightmares, and there will be no dressing for some time. I wouldn't want to there. Fishing will have to take its place, as there is a nice creek there. I know my parents can't last much longer, and i am moving to help in their final months, and i am giving up my life, again, to help them, but, my dad is controlling. I wouldn't even want to dress there.

[donnatracey]

I suppose....but like others have said, something would be missing in my life....:sad:

[Jenny Beth]

I dress regularly and have for many years. I never tried to quit so I have no idea how I'd handle not dressing. Probably not very well.

[Nicole Brown]

First, I dress as often as possible, every day when possible. Could I exist without crossdressing, of course I could. I would just toss out all of my remaining non female clothing and live full time as Nicole.

[Lexine]

Lately I've considered my female self, "Lexi," as a separate person... even going as far as calling her my sister and creating a whole new identity for her on some social networks. It's going to sound silly but it's almost like how Ed Wood has to cross dress in order to think differently (love Johnny Depp in that movie btw)! Just the whole idea that people treat me with a lot more care than they would normally a guy is enough for me to start thinking differently and to be honest, I wouldn't know what to do if Lexi left. It'd be as if my closest friend and sister died or something.

[Kaz]

Could survive, have survived!

Since I have embraced it all I have become more fulfilled and feel more "complete".. so now it would be harder to give up than before. But of course we all can give up... humans adapt and survive!

And if I had to stop... I have some great memories of Kaz! And I am trying to build more of those now... :daydreaming:

[5150 Girl]

No, I don't think I could, or atleast not without beeing really cranky.
For me dressing is a measns of expressing what I belive to be my true self

[Sarah Doepner]

I'm like several others here who tend to get just a little cranky if they don't get their time en femme. I'm pretty sure I could get by and I might even be able to find another outlet that would keep me from being a jerk around everyone who know me. Some day that may happen again, but it's not something I'm going to try volunteer for.

[Naomi Rayne]

I have been told by people that know i dress that i appear to be much happier when i am in something fem. Even if its a simple something as panties with the rest being my male drab. So with that said i do not think i could survive at all. Dressing is way to much a part of me.

[AllieSF]

Since I just started dressing 3 years ago, I really do not know how much of it is deeply ingrained into my being. However, I am also looking for a job and that may require relocating to some place where I cannot dress up and go out. Going out is what I really enjoy doing, almost to the point where for now if I cannot go out, I am not much interested in getting dressed up.

[marcy77]

I have gone a few days without CD'ing but the stress collects on me after awhile. I found that trying to get to sleep was the hardest to do without wearing at least a pair of panties. I've gotten up several times in the middle of the night just to put on a little something so that I could relax enough to get to sleep.

[Kate Simmons]

Once the feelings were truly integrated, it mattered little one way or the other, to myself anyway. The challenge is to be yourself regardless. While that may have seemed impossible for me to do some 20 years ago, I'm living proof anything can be accomplished if one has the willpower.. I was just reading a letter I composed to my shrink 20 years ago. I told her how impossible it would be for me to give up dressing and that it made me feel like a woman, which in turn made me feel better about myself and my life. At that time I also felt I had to transition to be happy.

The thing is I realized a while ago that I was tired of the roller coaster effect of going between male and female and wanted to discover what all my options were. I had to seriously consider all of them as transitioning is a permanent step. They are not as limited as one may think and diversity is really the name of the game in many cases. Oh, I still enjoy dressing occassionally but the difference is it's totally my choice now and no compulsion is involved. That makes it all the more satisfying to me. Everyone is different, however, and one has to do what works best for themself I feel.:)

[SusieK]

It's all about playing mind games with myself. If I believe I have the option to dress at some point, then I can cope better with not dressing. Theoretically then, I could go for long periods without the need to dress. However, if I felt that it was forbidden and I could NEVER dress again, then it would dwell on my mind and I suspect could make me quite ill :sad:.

Much better to go with the flow, and dress when the urge strikes :).

Susie

[msniki48]

Deborah,

it is funny that you bring this up, and also interesting how we have such varied responses. I just recently [ last spring] went through a period where i thought i could stop being niki, some of my family members were thrilled....i stopped shaving my body, and even grew a goat tee. I was miserable. A total mess. YOu can see my ramblings on my blog on my site titled "i almost purged". I know now that, no matter how little i can present, i can't ever try to totally ignore this side of my personality. So, in essence, I don't think i could survive not dressing.

:hugs:

[mapletree]

i quess if you are saying could i stop 100% forever then the word survive makes sense... then i have two comments. Yes i would try becasue I want to and love to live second when the opportunity came up so that i could cross dress i would becasue it is really part of me deep inside
i do not know if i answered well but that is what think right now

[Madilyn A.]

I love Nicole's response. If I gave up dressing I would have to substitute with something to take the edge off, to relax me. I believe my mental make up is that of a female, so it would be very difficult if not physically and mentally unhealthy.

[BRANDYJ]

Yes, I can survive. It's amazing what we can do if a lifestyle situation changes and makes it impossible to do anything we love or think we need. We adjust and go onward. Would I like it? Hell no! No more then living without air conditioning in 90+ degree weather.

[SusanMarie]

What KathiLake said...
:iagree:

[PretzelGirl]

Tough thing to answer. I would like to think that I would survive just fine. I did for 40+ years, so why not again? But the problem with a lot of speculative questions is that you just don't know.

Now whether I would want to, that is another question. . .

[Karinsamatha]

I have gone as long as five weeks not to long ago, I was unable due to the housing situation. I was not in a happy place mentally. There was a immediate sense of relief when I was able to. I was amazed at how much I needed to release Karin, and how much effort it took to keep my fem self in check.

[Michaela42]

I rented a house on my own for about two years. Nearly every day when I would return home from work I would dress right away. I did this for the entire two years. Then I had to move back into my parent's house. One of the first things I did was install a lock on my bedroom door, but I was still limitied in how much/when I could dress.

That was three years ago and due to other factors I very rarely dress. I am moody and cranky but still trucking along. The thing that really bothers me is being around women who are dressed to the nines (like wedding receptions, etc) and listening to them complain about "having" to dress up. I just want to scratch their eyes out:Angry3:

[Loni]

i dress most all the time. and yes i could survive if i could not at all....but i would have to stock up on men's things.
as for a mental problem...i was born a bit off and different so were would it change ????:eek:


.

[Raychel]

I am sure that I would get by, I guess you could call it survval, But it certainly would not be living. Definitly not living life to the fullest. I am sure that I would get very cranky and irritable. I am sure that the mental stress that it would cause could be a big problem.

I am not planning on trying.

[eluuzion]

Yes, I live alone so I dress daily.

Without food or water, probably only survive about 3-4 days. With food and water, yes, but I would have something else to replace it within a couple days that was just as interesting.

[Annaliese2010]

I can survive, but the world would be that much less beautiful.

Oh, excuse me, I mean...IMHO, that is :battingeyelashes:

Well ok ok...not so humble actually...

;)

[t-girlxsophie]

Has been said in jest,im mental in either mode,at least I think its in Jest:)
I dress most days so to have it taken away,Would I think cause me Anguish,but I dont think any of us that dress often could say for certain how we would feel,we could adapt to the situation
But I can certainly say I dont want to ever test that theory out,I love every day I can be Sophie:daydreaming::)

[hoseinok]

I could make it, but would miss the fun

[Alicia.80]

If I had been asked this question a year ago, I probably would have said that I could survive. Now that I've finally come to terms with who and what I am, no chance. It's hard enough being my male self for 40 hours a week.... can't imagine going back to all the time :(

[zoe m]

Yes I could survive. I wouldn´t feel like I was really me, though, at least not 100%. I guess it would be easier to give it up for a good reason (if there was one) with me and the people closest to me knowing that I used to do it and why I was giving it up, than it would be to try to suppress it, deny it was ever there and try to lock it up in some corner of my psyche.

[sissystephanie]

I don't play hockey like Karren, but I know I could survive! I did it for 5 years
some years ago. A purely voluntary stopping of CD'ing. My dear late wife got me started again, but I know I coud stop!

Life has many challenges, you just have to learn to control them!

[cdgina4u]

I tried to give it up when I got married. I threw away all my femme clothes and figured I wouldn't need them any longer. Within a few months I regretted doing that and began to reinvest in my female attire. I have to face it, I am addicted to cross dressing.

[Annalise]

I know I could survive but not without problems. Since I am new to the coming out part I think I feel so much more free and my girlfriend supports me. Before it was a secret that no one knew about as I grew up a traditional athletic teen. I even tried to go without for a period and it worked. BUT mentally I found myself more out of wack than anything. I was more anxious, paranoid about being found out among other things and very bothered from time to time. When I finally dressed again I felt so right. This was quite some time ago and I've taken every oppurtunity to dress since then and I couldn't be happier. My girlfriend and I feel so much closer to each other as she came out to me about a few things as well.

so could I survive? yes but not happily. There is nothing like being truly happy with yourself and having someone be truly happy with you. Nothing comes close.

[Rianna Humble]

For those who can dress regularly, do you dress as often as you can?

Definitely - and even some times when I can't. There are days when I have to wear drabs at work, so I get changed when I arrive at the office and change back when I am ready to leave or else just put the drabs over my real clothes.


If you had too, for any reason, could you survive without crossdressing, or could it, potentially cause you too many problems mentally or in other ways?

I can survive as much as 36 hours if I really have to - and I will from Thursday to Friday :sad: - but after that I will be in dire need of some time to be me.

I have tried spending time as "him", but it makes me depressed, then I get susceptible which makes me bad at my job.

[minalost]

Survive? Sure; I've done it. No problem...
Be happy and sain? NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS!
:hugs:

[Charleen]

I survived for the years I was in the Air Force many moons ago.
Today I'm a widow and dress every day. I don't think I could get along without being who I am anymore.

[sherri52]

Debs: I dress everyday because I can and also because I want to. Could I go without dressing, I don't know. For the love of a good woman I would give it my best shot. I fear I wouldn't make it but for love I would give it the good old college try. I know I could slow it down and not let it be part of my everyday life. If that woman was accepting I wouldn't have to, stop that is.

[Andromeda]

Can I survive with out cross dressing? Yes and have for years at a time ( Navy and college housing ). As for problems I still wanted to dress it did not become a real problem. Weather I could do it again? Probably but who knows. As for dressing regularly? Yes. As often as possibly can? No.

[Girl]

Crossdressing is such an important part of my life that I can't imagine what I'd be like without it. So, no, I don't think I could survive without it. I really wish I'd been born a girl and, for the moment, crossdressing is the closest I can get to that.

[lacie]

I don't think so. I've tryed to go for an extended period of time before and it didn't last too long. I started back dressing even more after that. Kinda like a smoker trying to quit and then not being able too. They start back and smoke more then ever.

[kymmieLorain]

it would be hard, I am not sure if I could or not. Being my mental state.

Kymmie

[brandie]

no not after this last year.
i am eather dressed or under dressed at all times.
and i love my self and so does my wife

love brandie

[jenna_woods]

yes I dres every chance I get, and I have tried going long times with not dressing in I am very unhappy, my co workers even asked what was bothering me, what could I say, so ni I could not do it,

[Annaliese2010]

I know I could survive but not without problems. Since I am new to the coming out part I think I feel so much more free and my girlfriend supports me. Before it was a secret that no one knew about as I grew up a traditional athletic teen. I even tried to go without for a period and it worked. BUT mentally I found myself more out of wack than anything. I was more anxious, paranoid about being found out among other things and very bothered from time to time. When I finally dressed again I felt so right. This was quite some time ago and I've taken every oppurtunity to dress since then and I couldn't be happier. My girlfriend and I feel so much closer to each other as she came out to me about a few things as well.

so could I survive? yes but not happily. There is nothing like being truly happy with yourself and having someone be truly happy with you. Nothing comes close.How odd that you, my random namesake, should be as if...a mirror image. Then again, if I had a GG gf like yours I would revel in my femme persona too if that's what did it for her, though SHE would be the 1° motivation for doing so, rather then some overriding internal driver such as seems to be present in you. But you're happy so...you're a lucky girl indeed. I don't think many people have that kind deeply sympathetic partner nor any significant cross-compatibility going for them in their relationship with their spouse or gf, regardless of their gender status whether 'normal' or trans. Glad to see how you do. I guess I'm flexible and adaptive about most things that are generally so very important to others, including CD'ing. Actually there's only a few things I require in a girl such as honesty, loyalty, trust and true love...aside from chemistry, of course, which is always the starting point.... Oops, I'm going off on a tangent... I better stop! LOL... Just that your name caught my eye and was intrigued by your post. Thanks...bye... [exit, stage right...]

[Angiemead12]

yes i can, i keep myself very busy as a man! but im lucky i can dress daily if i wanted too! :)

[Karenmarie]

Yes, I know for a fact that I can survive. I have been surviving
for many years. How well????? I guess I'm OK but this forum is
a lifesaver for me. Thanks to everyone.

Hugs
Karenmarie

[suchacutie]

For the first 55 years of my life there was no Tina (that I identified, anyway). Could I go back to the outward appearance of only being masculine if necessary? of course.

But...

I now know Tina exists. The mental processes, the understandings, the abilities, the insights, even the voice, can never be removed. So, in some ways, there is no going back, but that is not different from any other part of life. What we are now is a composite of our natural brain wiring and what we have learned/experienced along the way. We can never go back, we can only go forward. So, the only thing that can change is the denial of Tina's physical presence. The rest is just what we call life!

tina

[Samantha B L]

I couldn't give it up for long because I am a CD. I've had long periods in my life where I thought I would just forget about it but I couldn't forget about it for long.