Stress and the pink fog

[Kayla Marie]

Hi Everyone

I am sure this has been discussed before but I figured I would post it again to get current info, the last two weeks at work have been extremely stressful vs usual stuff I am dealing with. It appears the pink fog is in full blanket mode at the moment and I get the feeling it is due to all the stress I am going through.

Has anyone else had a similar experience?

Kayla

[Jenniferathome]

It's pretty common to read here that cross dressing is a stress reliever so naturally, as you increase your stress, cross dressing will seem more and more needed.

Go put on a dress!

[AprilMayy<3]

It happens to me. I'll be dealing with way more than I usually do, and I'll just keep thinking "damn, I really want April to come out right now".
I've linked my dressing desire to stress on occasion before.

[Mykaa]

Yes, when I get stressed I dress more if I can. I find being en femme takes my mind away from whatever is bothering me.

[ChristinaK]

For me, it works a little different. I find that if I'm in a stressful event, Christina stays away. I don't want the hassle of dressing up, I guess. Right after the stressful time, the desire to dress is very strong, go figure.

[Tracii G]

I live alone so I can dress everyday if I feel like it so I can have all the girl time I want.
I'll be honest I don't stress over anything because what good does it do to worry about all the little stuff you have no control over.

[franlee]

It's a common occurrence, my advise is learn to make it work for you. It has probably saved my hair and well-being over the years. But it isn't gon'a go away once you have recognized it.

[Kate Simmons]

The real key is learning to manage the stress. Dressing is just a "band aid" fix at best. :)

[Karine]

When I am in a stressful situation (work, important decision to make), I always try to do something I like (go for a run, go to the movie theater,...). But crossdressing is definitely the most relaxing. I think it's because :
1/ it brings some softer atmosphere,
2/ as i am a closeted CD I can dress as much as I would like. So, when you eagerly await something, when it finally happens satisfaction is multiplied.

[Diversity]

Anyone under stress is looking for relief. As a crossdresser, it would be only natural that you may gravitate to crossdressing (and the pink fog) when seeking stress relief -especially when you enjoy crossdressing to begin with.
Don't fight it. Embrace and enjoy it!
Di

[Pat]

I've always thought people who feel that stress brings on crossdressing have it backwards. Imagine you have a "stress cup" that fills or empties as the stress in your life accumulates. My theory is that crossdressers who aren't dressing are actually filling the cup, let's say halfway, so there's not as much room available to take on other stressors in your life before the cup overflows. If work gets hard and the cup is dangerously full, crossdressing removes that half-cup static load and gives you relief. But I'm thinking if you did pre-emptive crossdressing on a regular basis, you could have that cup empty most of the time. ;)

[Jaylyn]

I'm with Tracii G on this I really don't sweat the things out of my control. After I retired that was when I came to a conclusion that if I can't change what is happening then why fight the battle and worry over what is happening. My two big stress relievers though are going to my deer stand and just relaxing watching the wildlife. The only stress a wild creature has is where the next meal is coming from and they have sensories built that can keep them from being part of another creatures food chain. It's amazing to me to sit and watch how they react to certain noises and other wildlife. After hunting and learning the habits of how nature truly works I thought why sweat the stuff that is going to happen regardless of what we do.
I'll admit though that dressing does sooth an inner stress to let Jaylyn loose every now and then. I get grouchy according to my wife when the hunting season is over and with the drought fishing was not an option unless one wanted to drive over a hundred miles, so I reverted back to wood working, welding, and dressing.... I know a weird combination but I say hey if it gives me less stress and the less stress we have according to the health professionals the happier and longer we will live then I'm going for it. Retirement is not easy and can be somewhat stressful in itself. I thought differently when I was working and looking forward to my retirement but have found I hunt, and dress more now than when I was in the stressful working for a living mode.

[Tracii G]

I think a lot of the stress is brought on by the person that is complaining.
The ones with the most stress seem to be in DADT or oh hell no not my husband relationships.
Next would be the group that hasn't yet accepted who they are and they are either homophobic or think if they dress there is something wrong with them.
I know the later fits a whole lot of members here and tho they say they aren't homophobic but its pretty obvious.
Then you have the over thinkers with all the" if I do this it must mean this" or "what if" kind.
They don't have the ability to just let go and will wallow in despair for the rest of their lives and never be happy.

[ClosetED]

I, an overthinker, think that when stress is very personal (illness in you or family), then CDing desire is diminished.
When stress is more external - work, society - then you turn to your known stress relievers. For some men, it may be fishing or sports or hunting. For us, while we may do those as well, dressing (to me at least) seems more specific to reduce that kind of stress brought on by 'male' responsibility as it helps us see ourselves a bit different. I have worked from home and continued my normal required work, but when dressed, my mind doesn't feel the stress as much.
I am very logical, so for me to understand how I work helps me
Hugs, Ellen

[reb.femme]

I've had days, even weeks where I didn't want to dress, but I wouldn't put it down to stress. However, I have been feeling less than one hundred per cent just lately, so tonight I had a laze in a warm bath and shaved my legs, arms and pits. Dressed now and feeling so alive.

Not sure what is causing your stress so no advise there, but I would definitely follow Jennifer's advice and get a dress on. See what happens from there.

Becky

[Barbara Jo]

Personally, when I'm not at all stressed and the happiest, are the times when I most want to dress.
For me, dressing is not a stress reliever.

Who else is like that?

[Anneliese]

The real key is learning to manage the stress. Dressing is just a "band aid" fix at best. :)

Agreed. It's a super-great band aid though.

[AllieBellema]

Agreed and I've been under stress alot... so naturally I got one of my dresses on.

[Piora]

I simply find it is something that keeps me from having stress to begin with. For me, it has become somewhat ceremonial, in a way. Saturdays, I relax, I bathe, shave my legs, and 'slip into something femme' ....as my avatar says :) Since I work all week, the weekends are for dressing. Lately, I have been majorly enveloped in the Pink Fog, since I have been ordering clothes like there's no tomorrow. But, after having to make do with the items I already owned (which weren't many) for a few years, I have been making up for it recently, by going just a bit crazy. Curse you, Amazon and Secrets in Lace!!:daydreaming::heehee:

[Martha G]

When I am dressed as a woman, it relieves a lot of stress.

I feel and look much younger as well.

[WandaRae2009]

I am right there with you. Have been quite stressed lately and it seems that every spare moment I think about the next time I get to dress. My son went on vacation recently, so I had an opportunity to be home stay dressed all day. I go a lot accomplished that day and was a lot less stressed at the end of the day, then it starts building again. If I just get a couple of hours, I get some stress relief.

[Alice Torn]

I have the opposite problem. After I have a session of dressing and photo shoots, the next day or two, i usually have high stress, and anger issues, quick tempered. Some of it is guilt and shame which have always dogged me, and some, because i use a lot of energy dressing, and hard work, which leaves me exhausted emotionally and physically.

[Kayla Marie]

Thanks for all the great responses, it seems it affects everyone differently. I do find there is a point when stressed that dressing is no longer fun as I just don't want to deal with it. However if left unchecked it always sneaks back and if I ignore it I tend to become agitated easily and short tempered.

Trying to find balance seems to be the hardest thing to achieve when trying to balance it with all the other things in life.

Kayla

[Lacy PJs]

During my career, there were two times that I was unemployed for a few months. I found that during those times, in the midst of a serious job search, my interest in and desire to dress became stronger. The same thing happened when I lost a family member several years ago. I don't know if it is a stress reliever or whether the stress pushes us deeper and deeper into a feeling of "what the heck..."

Lacy PJs

[jacques]

hi,
put on a dress and get rid of that stress ... it works for me!
luv J

[Candice June Lee]

Yup, been pretty stressed at work as well. And the "pink fog" isn't so much a fog as I found out. But it does cause some issues..

[Anneliese]

I've been in a pink fog the last few weeks. I've bought four new wigs and two butt enhancers, along with several new bras. One thing that's changed with me the last decade or so is that pink has become BY FAR my favorite color.