stressed then dressed

[erica12b]

was reading a post and remamberd a question i wanted to ask,

how can putting on a dress help so much with my stress, i can be so freaked out ,get home put on a dress and heels and its like a wave of relaxation comes over me and im fine and will make it (then the dress comes off and the the frekyness of the dressing hits and then the stress that startsed it, )

how can a piece of cloth do that to a person, ?
and do gg's do this with clothes?

[Deanna2]

I find that a mini skirt, camisole and heels are just the greatest for relaxation.

[LeannL]

I have read in several places - some scholarly works - that stress causes us to want to dress. Some have explained it as a means to escape based upon the stereotype that women have less to worry about - men provide the living wage, etc. Don't know if the last part is true but it does allow us to escape into our femme personallity and leave the male stress behind. So your experiences are not unusual. The scholarly works also suggested that for some CDs, anti-depressants also cut down on the CD drive. I don't know of anyone who can testify to this though.

Personally, when there are things that relieve my stress available, I loose most if not all of my desire to dress. During the summer, if I can go fishing or canoeing on a routine basis (3-4 times a week), my stress level goes down and my desire to dress goes down more than proportionally. I don't even need to catch fish but it helps!

[Julie York]

Funny this notion has been mentioned before. I say 'notion' because I am not entirely sure that dressing IS relaxing. I am usually very unrelaxed when dressed.

Maybe it is because you adopt another mindset and become someone else mentally. It's a bit like having a mental holiday from yourself.....which is good for anyone I suppose.

One of my all time favourite thread titles is "The calming effect of panties." It still cracks me up even now.

DR: "You're over stressed Mz York. Take two Valium and a pair of panties before meals."

JY: "What about alcohol?"

DR: "Hell yes, why not."

:D

[Shannon]

My therapist explained it to me like this: Something stresses me out -- usually relationships. Back when I was a teenager and first started CrossDressing, I associated wearing women's clothing with positive feelings -- feeling good about myself, arousal, feeling pretty, etc. So when I was feeling stressed, I started dressing up to "self medicate".

If you are of the opinion that CrossDressing is an addictive behavior, then the pattern is set: You get stressed and need to self medicate, so you dress up, feel good for a while, then start feeling guilty about dressing up (most likely because of social/religious views about CrossDressing that we picked up somewhere). Like any addictive pattern, some tolerance to the 'dosage level' of the drug of choice builds up (you need more alcohol, drugs, or clothes) to get the same effect.

Now, I'm not implying that we are all a bunch of addicts, so please don't take offense nor misinterpret me. CrossDressing is a complicated thing to explain and there are so many individual differences among us. For some, it may be addictive behavior and for others it may be more a gender identity issue.

Do GG's do it with clothes? I'd reframe the question to ask "what's your drug of choice?" I think each person finds a way to deal with stress and anxiety that works for them -- shopping, dressing up, gambling, drinking, relationships, work, chocolate. I've got several myself!

[Wendy me]

ok perhaps "he" might be all stressed out but your fem side dosent want anything to due with being stressed ...after all your fem side is not out in the real world and waites for you to bring her out and for her dressed it's all good.....

[erica12b]

got silk?

[Candy Heels]

Isn't it amazing that for most (if not all gg's) that putting on high heeled shoes causes tension, and many of us find it to be so relaxing.:D

[gotme]

"CrossDressing is an addictive behavior, then the pattern is set: You get stressed and need to self medicate, so you dress up, feel good for a while, then start feeling guilty about dressing up (most likely because of social/religious views about CrossDressing that we picked up somewhere). Like any addictive pattern, some tolerance to the 'dosage level' of the drug of choice builds up (you need more alcohol, drugs, or clothes) to get the same effect."

Wow, never heard it like that. I absolutely see this point and agree with you not at all offended by it... Thanks for your thoughts

_G_

[ginafaye]

:) i dont know about all the whys of it .......but no matter what the stress just slipping into something a little more satin and silky sure seems to help

[Marla]

A sexy pair of panties and lipstick also make me feel very calm and collected. It's my no calorie comfort food!

[Marla]

That is way too complicated. You sound very angry and what we do is a very gentle art. Please lighten up!

[Ms. Laura]

I am unsure about the self medication theory. It definitely seems possible if that is why you started dressing, which is the big question. I become, very relaxed, emotionally, when all dolled up. Perhaps it is the ritual that transforms you into another person that doesn't care that the snowblower needs repair before the next storm! Personally, I don't think that I began dressing as an response to stress. I also don't seem to lose impulse when not stressed, but that's just me.

Also, besides being relaxed, mentally, I become much more energetic and positive. Maybe this falls into some sort of Freudian channeling of sexual energy. (or is it Jung? I dunno)

Long story short, yep, it's relaxing!

[fionablack]

Who knows the answer. It is enough for me that it does help me to de-stress, and it does feel good.

Just looking at clothes in the shops is very relaxing too. I was in a department store today and I was feeling a bit stressed looking for Christmas presents, so I wandered towards the lingerie section and started browsing.

I picked up and looked at a few pairs of panties, some bras, garter belts, and a couple of really lovely basques (I have got to get me one of those), and then I went on with my Christmas shopping. Just the act of looking at these things helped me with a stressful day.

[Kimberly]

DR: "You're over stressed Mz York. Take two Valium and a pair of panties before meals."

JY: "What about alcohol?"

DR: "Hell yes, why not."

:D
Ugh!! You made me snort...! rofl. :p

[rexy]

i find it very relaxing .......to become someone else ........REXY:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Shannon]

That is way too complicated. You sound very angry and what we do is a very gentle art. Please lighten up!

Marla, it isn't clear to me who your comment is directed to; it appears you replied to Gotme's quote of my first post. Whatever. I simply want to clarify that I'm not angry at all. I'm very comfortable and confident with my nature.

[freshfrankie]

I love getting dressed and haven't felt guilty about it for years. I'm very comfortable and in a perfect world would dress 24/7. Mens clothes are so boring.
As for anti anxiety medications. I've been on Paxil for two years. Work would always stress me out and going on Paxil was perfect for me. I dress more than ever since my wife moved out two months ago. One unwanted side effect of anti-depressant meds for men is a decreased sex drive.
I told my doctor and he suggested I take Ciaylis or Viagra. I decided against it because at this juncture in my life It would be like having a Porsche 911 TurboS in the garage and no drivers liscense. Lets just say ladies I'm happy standing in a stiff breeze!:)

Love
Jeannie

PS - As for my sex drive...I could fall into a barrel of breasts and come up sucking my thumb!

[erica12b]

i would say every gurl thats stressed should dress and take a nice glass of wine perday then the so;s would revolt and start snaping bra;s and garters
is there a down side to any of this? hummm not that i can see, any one else see one?

[tiffiany]

Im the opposite: when Im in a stressful mood, I dont feel like dressing. I may do something to ease my mind, but I dont dress. I have to feel good about who I am before Im able to want to dress up. Sometimes I dont dress for a week and other times, I may only go a day or two.

[homejame]

heh my first post -oooooooooh helpp.m yes definitely dress for stress. fortunately ive got 2 lovely lady friends who both indulge me( one to the point of giving me a lovely pair o fishnets to open on my own xmas morn) i find the whole thing of just being able to talk clothes n stuff. ill probably draw the curtains this afternoon when i get back in-then dress before i start doin the ironing - hey - its just somethin i do- so what ? havent even started wi the makeup yet - still got that bridge to cross. ive had a totally bad year for stress one way n' another - fortunately comin out the other end- and just the feel o the stuff helps. lokkin forward to my first pair o shoes sometime soon. unlike most girls im still more than happy with whats between my legs .( does that make me doubly odd?) still findin me way round this whole thing , bless for this site tho.( im 56 by the way- just retired.)

[JoAnnDallas]

I was out of work for 14 months. Talk about stress. Yes, I would from time to time get all dressed up and it did relieve the stress. I kinda agree that when I become JoAnn, I am JoAnn and my maleself goes away and so does the stress and I start feeling better. Even after I have to switch back to drab some of the good feeling flows over. Then I get up the next morning, relize that I still don't have a job and get stressed all over again.

Now I am working, so that stress is gone, but now have a new stress. Wife has MS and recently qualified for SS disablity, so now she has deceided not to find full time employment. Now my JoAnn time has decreased to almost zero. Now I'm stressed again. LOL