Comes and Goes Cycle?

[Fifi]

Gals, how often does the coming and going cycle last for you? Sometimes I find I will need to dress dress dress and I can do nothing but think about dressing all day and all night. This can last for 3-7 days where I literally think about dressing for 24 hours a day.

Then I can go 3-7 days without thinking one thought of dressing. Almost to a point where I wonder why I even dressed in the first place? Like it's so far removed from me that I could "purge" in a second and throw away all my clothes in a second?

Does this happen to you gals too? Or is it more consistent day to day thing? Is there some hormonal cycle that I am not aware of? Sleep cycle? Stress Cycle?

[Amanda_Robinson]

Yes! I quit trying to figure it out though. It also took a purge or two before I quit throwing things out. In some cases it was good because I got to shop again for better stuff :o) Now I just go with the flow.
~Amanda

[Kandy Barr]

Yes Fifi, it has been an on again off again ride for me also. A lot of this has been due to the circumstances surrounding me and having the freedom to pursue my fem side. I've gone through the whole spectrum of thoughts and emotions concerning my overwhelming desire to dress and present myself as a woman, never came up with the answer as to why, or why it comes and goes. I can tell you this much, it has never completely gone away. I have been at this for almost 50 yrs. and I dress more of the time now as Kandy than I do my male counterpart. As I grow older and more free to pursue my pleasure I find I am very comfortable being Kandy and I just don't care what the rest of the world thinks. Didn't mean to ramble on but perhaps I've helped you to think before you purge, most likely you'll wish you hadn't somewhere down the road.

[iGenny]

Yes, exactly like you described. I don't know what sets/resets the cycle.

[stephNE]

Sometimes my cycle can be months. When I am busy at work I may go 6-8-10 weeks without dressing (not counting wearing panties at work).

[Michelle (Oz)]

My dressing cycle started last July and has only intensified. Even a few days is tough.

[Kate's at home]

I'm with Kandi on this. The cycles come and go over the years. And, as most report here, as we get older we typically find more self acceptance in the process and just go with it all more freely. It get's easier. Hang in there...

Kate

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi Fifi, I dress every day a couple hours in the morning and a couple hours in the evening
through out the day I think about what to wear to night.

[Cynthia Anne]

I remember those cycles very well! I finally put an end to them by dressing full time! Since I got rid of all my male clothes it doesn't matter weather I feel up to dressing or not! I have no choice! I like it better this way!

[linda allen]

I find that if I don't feel well, I don't feel like dressing. I also find that if I have something to do that I enjoy, dressing takes a back seat to this activity even if it's for several days or more.

I wouldn't worry about it. Just do what you want to do when you can do it and enjoy yourself. No sense overthinking things.

[Beverley Sims]

As you proceed down the long road of X dressing and the years flow by, the cycles are less noticeable.

[NicoleScott]

Over the years, it seems that my cycle was influenced by opportunities to dress. When I was single and living alone, I NEEDED to dress 3-4 times a week, and I did. Married now, with a child, fewer opportunities seem to have tempered my need.

[kimdl93]

I'm not sure if I experienced cycles or periods of repression. Ther was a lull when I was in the army, and by the time I married, I hadn't dressed for a coupe of years. But once my wife drew out my deeply buried interest, I didn't have a real off period form many years. Then came the divorce and I stopped dressing for nearly five years. Since then, I've gradually expanded from underdressing to going fully en femme. For the past decades, its been like a ratchet...advancing by a few clicks but never receding.

[Terri Semes]

I have the same feelings as you Fifi, sometimes all I can think of is dressing and then there are periods of time that it is not on my mind at all.

[Cheryl Ann Owens]

I don't have any cycles about being dressed. It's more about the definition of dressing for me. Look at at most women. They wear jeans, slacks, tops, sneakers----pretty much as men do too. Hypothetically, if I wanted to crossdress to look like a man, I'd be wearing a suit and tie. If you mean fully dressed with a dress, makeup, wig, totally presenting as female, well I do that now and then. Normally I wear what women wear on a daily basis. I'm retired and can be dressed at any time but mostly it's casual and practical usually adding earrings and a wig. I do wear nightgowns or women's pajamas to bed every night. Hope this makes some sense.

Cheryl

[Danielle_cder]

defiantly go through cycles, not quite to the extent of needing to purge(any more). I think purging has something to do with ones acceptance of self once i accepted the fact that this is part of who i really am the thought of it being wrong went away. my cycles are almost like having a period bout once a month for a week i cant stop thinking about getting dun up

[Amy Fakley]

There are definitely times when it completely leaves me. Those times never seem to last for very long, a week or two at most. Then it'll hit me out of the blue so heavy ... the proverbial ton of bricks. In those moments I'll feel like ... the best way I can describe it, is when your plane has just landed, and you're waiting out that infernal interval between landing and finally being able to stand up, wiggle out of your seat get the hell off the plane and actually move around. It's like that in that it feels like I'll just go insane if I can't let this side of me breathe, even if only for an hour or two.

My experience is that there are lots of things that contribute to that on again / off again status. Stress is one thing ... the consistent variety (work deadlines, family hassles, car problems, leaky roofs, etc), those tend to drive me to want girly time. Actual crisis type stuff (something has happened to a loved one, something happened at work and you might get fired, wife actually wrecked the car, etc) ... those types of things tend to make me completely forget that I even have a feminine side, and make me not want to even think about it.

Then there are other things like the changing of the seasons. It never fails, when fall hits, and when spring hits, it just opens me up and all the girlyness inside spills out like a busted pinata.

I'm not sure I that it's really a "cycle" for me though. All things being equal, my default state seems to settle on wanting to crossdress most of the time.

[Laura28]

it comes and goes and like you sometime i have the need to dress non stop. other times it can go months were i dont feel the need. for me when i am stressed i need to dress,

[marlenesexton]

I used to dress more often and my cycles were weeks or even months. Like Nicole said, it was influenced by opportunity as much as desire. I haven't dressed in more than hosiery, heels and lingerie in years mainly due to teenagers. My wife working at home slowed things too. She knows but she never appreciated me calling in sick and spending the day playing while she worked. Now I work from home too but the teenagers have a car. They come home at will. Now I'm relegated to times they are really gone, not just at school or a friends.

[Shirley Anne]

I wear tights and panties most days and fully dress a couple of nights a week usually, but earlier on this year I went through a period off about six to eight weeks when I just couldn't be bothered to dress. I would think about it and plan what I was going to wear but when time came lost interest, even my wife trying to encourage me made no difference, couldn't be bothered.

[Jaylyn]

As I have aged I have come more to listen to what my mind, body and spiritual being is telling me.. Many people donor listen to their own needs or wants. Most of the stiflers to this have already been said here. Stress, bills, repairs, work, family duties and the things that have to be dealt with causes us to lose touch with ourselves. Sometimes these can build and we can become a demon in our own skins. When I retired I did nothing but fished and hunted for two entire years. Being in the great outdoors and nature teaches us to slow down. To be successful in fishing or hunting one must think like and feel like the game or fish one pursues. This is what we lose site of when all the other things get in our way. We lose what we feel I our own bodies. Our bodies will tell us when to nourish ourselves, when we are in need of slumber, and even when a sick spell is coming on. We need to just listen to it. Learn what it is telling us. I dress because there's something inside that tells me to, I am religious because something inside tells me to, I love others because something inside feels right when do, I have cycles that my body says no that it is needing a change you are calling it cycles Fifi. I say you are I tune to your body telling you what it wants, go with it and you'll be surprised how good you can feel if you listen and get to know your inner self. Jaylyn

[*Amelia*]

It used to come and go for me, but now its all the time. I underdress everyday and wear girl socks, tennis shoes, jeans, and sometimes tops.

[Frédérique]

…how often does the coming and going cycle last for you? Sometimes I find I will need to dress dress dress and I can do nothing but think about dressing all day and all night. This can last for 3-7 days where I literally think about dressing for 24 hours a day.

I know I can dress at any time, but, since I like to delay pleasure, I wait for a moment when my dressing will enhance whatever I’m doing – I need a “cycle” of sorts to keep things interesting. I just crossdress for pleasure as the need arises, and it usually does…

[Krista1985]

It used to vary quite a bit in the beginning.

I had swings that lasted a week or two in which I either had an overwhelming urge to dress, or none at all. During the 'none at all' times I also questioned what I was doing and why. 'Gosh, why do I do that? Maybe I should stop for good. Is this really the best thing for me to be doing? Why am I like this?!' But then the desire returned to peak levels again, and off I went to my closet, thankful that I hadn't emptied it of feminine finery. The inner conflict was a bit like being a werewolf at times, dreading the change but then howling at the moon in joy after the transformation.

Lately though, the desire has been in 'on' mode for the most part. I am fortunate that I can dress for a portion of every day if I so choose, and often do (at least partially) every day for weeks or months on end. I do have lulls where I don't feel like indulging it, or don't have the time for it, but I don't really question my nature in these times anymore. I know that it's just a matter of time before I'm at it again. Truth be told, I really enjoy coming off of a lull now. The anticipation, the building desire, the feeling it gives me... I enjoy my CDing a lot more after abstaining for a few days.

[Marlena-4now]

Yes, there definetly has always been an ebb and flow to my feminine feels and the urge to dress. In fact , years ago I actually used to plot it on a calendar ! Being an engineer I was trying to determine the length of time between peaks and the duration of the most intense feelings. Every morning I would write a number from 1 to 10 on the calendar to indicate the intensity for that day. 1 would mean crossdressing was not on my mind at all and 10 would mean I couldn't think about anything else. My theory was that my feminine urges would follow a lunar cycle similar to a women's menstrual cycle. So I kept my record keeping up for about half a year and my results did seem to indicate a roughly monthly cycle. Of course it is possible that this was a self fulfilling prophecy and I was sub consciously fudging the data to support my hypothesis. However, I really do think that body chemistry has something to do with it all. Although ours are not as strong as a women's, Men do definitely have a similar monthly hormonal cycle and our levels of estrogen and testostorene fluctuate.

[Nicola2876]

Hi! You've described my life! I've gone from massive extremes of feelings and needs which confuse the he'll out of me. One end of the spectrum is dressing as much as possible, seeing a psychologist and arranging hormone treatment to cancelling that treatment, not dressing for months and nearly purging. I'm in a "loving dressing" period again now. A rollercoaster for sure.

[shannon oeswicki]

I definately go back and forth. There are times when I can't stop thinking about it, and times that it never crosses my mind. The really thick pink fog rolls in three or four times a year.

[Ms. Laura]

Absolutely there are cycles! I'm on an "off" cycle right now and it's pissing me off!!! I mean, I just break out and start meeting people and all of a sudden my desire has just fizzled. I mean, I want the pink fog back, it's just not there.

I don't want to purge or anything, I just don't feel that strongly about it. But, iin retrospect, this often occurs. My cycles run for multiple months, maybe 3-4 months at a time. Warm weather usually puts me in a Non-Dressing mindset because there are so many other things to do. That and it gets practically unbearable under a wig when you don't have central AC. :)

Then fall comes and BAM! Sweater dresses, tights, yee ha!

[reb.femme]

Hi Fifi,

I've only been dressing fully for about 15 months so probably not fully qualified to give an opinion. :o

The desire to dress has been cyclical but not to the point of wanting to purge. How can I throw away my lovely dresses, skirts and tops?

I had a short period where medication gave me a temporary chemical castration :eek: which definitely put a stop to any desire to dress too! My dressing is not sexually motivated now, although it was once upon a time, so it was a bit of a worry.

That said, I also get the urge to dress for days then it subsides in intensity, but never really goes away. I'm in a 'loving to dress whenever I can' phase at the moment. Must be the summer temperatures in the UK (a whopping 15 centigrade at the moment) :heehee:

Rebecca

[Dianne S]

Yes, I have cycles too. I went through a strong cycle a couple of months back where I could hardly think of anything else. Then a few weeks ago a family crisis made cross-dressing the last thing on my mind. Now that that's settled, a new dressing cycle is beginning...

[k lynn]

Being a underdresser the thought or feeling of not wearing a bra and panties on a daily bascis has not left me in many years now some times I think I can live with out them but I dont make it long usually 3 days

[Alana Wests]

Due to my work schedule, it used to be a strictly Winter thing for me. But thinking about it would gradually build at the end of August, I'd plan outfits for months, build up an arsenal of hot makeup and lashes, fill one of my backpacking packs with a melange of clothes, cosmetics, breast forms, and some experimental items (especially before the breast forms). When I'd finally have the time and space to dress, I'd pull an all-nighter extravaganza trying all the thing i'd saved up. It was a blast, but in the early days would lead to a lot of guilt and uncertainty, and unfortunately an inevitable purge.

Things are a bit different now, keeping track of my cycles and getting older has given me the perspective that I need to recognize and enjoy this part of myself. When I don't feel like dressing, it is right. When I do feel like dressing, it is also right. I've become happy with this new interesting depth of my own personality.

The extremity of those original cycles was necessary for me to find this great balance. As others have said ' Go with the flow".

[Cindia]

Oh yeah, been like that for ever, which is how long I've been dressing. In younger days it could be months between wanting to which led to many purges when I finally started buying my own clothes. Seems like the "on" stretches are getting closer together and lasting longer these days. Tried many times to figure out why or when or what triggers it. Only thing I can say is that if I am in an "off" stretch, seeing a woman dressed in something I like to wear can turn the switch back on.

[Jackie7]

I find that my male and female poles alternate in cycles that can last weeks and months. This year for example I did not dress at all from the middle of January until mid- March. From Mid-march until this week, I dressed nearly every day, usually for the full day and evening. This past weekend I flipped back to the guy end of the spectrum and am mostly immersed in my masculine stuff, working in my wood workshop, digging in the garden, mending the kayaks, not thinking about girling up. I never know how long a cycle will last. I've learned to pay attention to my genuine appetite, not to my habits nor to the expectations of others. How do I really feel today?

I experienced the same long cycling when I was younger and immersed in BDSM power-exchange relationships. I cycled from dom to sub over weeks and months, and with one girlfriend, also a switch, we organized power transfer rituals where the dom and sub would trade places and formally begin the next cycle.

I don't understand any of this. I don't have to understand it to be OK with it.

[Jaylyn]

I really do think that body chemistry has something to do with it all. Although ours are not as strong as a women's, Men do definitely have a similar monthly hormonal cycle and our levels of estrogen and testostorene fluctuate.

Marlena you are right about the time of the month cycles. I wrote earlier about getting in tune with your body. I feel the urge to dress on certain days of the month, and now since retiring have the time to go enfemme all day on those days. When I do that it seems to satisfy a need that my mind and body wants. Just reading the forum sometimes can trigger a certain small amount of dressing. I call this out side stimulus and this is not the hormones that are telling me to dress. Out side stimulus can be satisfied sometimes by only wearing panties or toes painted and in myself usually is more sexual and just needs a sexual release. The Hormonal or cycles inside me tell me that I need, want and have to go dress all the way on certain days of the month to fulfill an emotional part of me. I can be cranky or irritated easily if I don't answer its call. It is more of an emotional release and can be sexual or not to be satisfying. Maybe we could get us a grant form the government and do a study on this to support our exciting habit of clothes, makeup and shoe buying....lol
We would share all the grant money with all the lovely ladies on here that agree to let us study their habits and we would get the royalties off the books and television appearances. Of course dressed enfemme in our interviews. Ok who wants to sign up first.......Jaylyn