Crossdressing as a stress relief

[Asew]

I was browsing a crossdresser's blog and one of their posts really struck a chord with me and I wanted to share:

WHY CROSSDRESSING IS RELAXING AND RELIEVES STRESS
http://www.mycdlife.com/2009/04/why-crossdressing-is-relaxing-and-relieves-stress

I never thought about it, but lately having to conform to certain male standards is a stressor in my life now. I have accepted my crossdressing and wish to wear a skirts more, but my wife wants to slowly let the kids know so in the mean time having to put on pants every morning really bums me out.

[MarinaTwelve200]

Yes, long ago I discovered that CDing was "a vacation from myself"----on further analysis I discovered by becoming "Not Me" AND a "woman" seemed to release all my stresses--I could "totally unwind" and relax. Marina had None of my worries and concerns (not that I was particularly "burdened", mind you, but what I had simply "melted away"---and the woman aspect further released the normal "manhood" pressures and obligations. I am able to get a CD "FIX" every couple of weeks or so. Where I take a nap, a few photos and "get off", and I am "good to go" until next time.-----------I find a lot of CDers are like me, and others are somewhat different.----but hey, to each his/her own.

[Gillian Gigs]

Yes, CD'ing is a stress relief for me also. I like what Marina says,'I discovered that CDing was "a vacation from myself",' that sums it up nicely. I think that is why some join theatre groups, so they can be someone else for awhile, and they can play at dress up at the same time also.

[Sami Brown]

I find it decreases stress when I stay home. I am still working on it decreasing stress when I am out, but for now doing that increases my stress. I do believe that will reverse with practice.

Sami

[Cassandra Lynn]

Reads like a text book case of "i'm transgendered and living as my birth sex is uncomfortable for me', which also sounds like a fairly good description of mild dysphoria; but that's just my opinion and I don't wish to offend.

I've never been more comfortable in my own skin than I am now. Once I decided many years ago, that I am trans and that living as a non-binary person is the only way to freedom and peace of mind.

One persons 'relaxation and stress relief' is another's acceptance of gender variance and living right.

Just a thought though.

Cass

[Steph_CD_62]

I know I crossdress to relax too, but have really never figured out why it does relax me. It is hard to explain to my wife why it relaxes me when I don't know why either. My wife has made comments when I haven't dressed for awhile that I seem out of sorts.

[Jaymees22]

I find that it's the best stress reliever ever. It's too bad it doesn't work for everyone.

[Beverley Sims]

I find it calming dressed as a woman.

[bridget thronton]

I think I like the vacation idea

[Nic J]

I guess that i feel less stressed when CDing. I certainly feel much happier expressing myself as i really want to be, rather than being the person those around me have deemed that i should be.

[Rayleen]

Yes it sure does, so as shopping for new feminine clothing .

Rayleen

[Queen Bridget]

I also find it very soothing and relaxing.

It's like masculinity is a weight on my shoulders that I have to keep up to make society feel comfortable. So when I dress up the weight is gone and I can finally feel how I like to.

[Stacy Darling]

Definitely is "Dress Relief" for this Girl!

I don't look for the answer to why it is stress relieving for myself, but just go with it now.

Stacy!

[biancabellelover]

I definitely feel calmer and less stressed when dressed. I’m still relatively new to this, but would consider Michelle to be another aspect of myself, as opposed to taking a holiday from myself (love the analogy, btw).

Michelle.

[NancySue]

Absolutely, especially after something athletic...golf, tennis, biking. A shower, shave, lotion, then slipping on sheer hose...ahhhhh. I love wearing a bra, too, all mine are underwires. My wife teases me. She can’t wait to take hers off nor does she wear hose. I tell her, she doesnt know what shes missing...comfort wise. She just smiles and shakes her head.

[Lisalove1976]

100%, taking time for myself and letting go of all the daily responsibilities has got to be the most motivating factor for me... being able to live everyday all the time like that would definitely increase my life expectancy.

To dream....

[marika_jaye]

This may seem silly, but I feel more productive when I crossdress. Simply putting on a skirt and some cute flats makes me want to get off my butt and accomplish things. I can't explain it, but there it is.

[rian]

crossdressing is not just relief to me it is a survival mode ...a need and a must ...without it I'm lost and i think all of us are .

[LilSissyStevie]

Yes, it's all ...er....um...."stress relief" {cough} for me. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[Sandy Storm]

Huge stress relief for me, it allows me to escape the world I live in everyday, allows me to forget all the male things and disappear into another world...sighs and the more comfortable I become as a CD with my wife and friends the more I really relax and forget about my stress

[Asew]

Yes, long ago I discovered that CDing was "a vacation from myself"----on further analysis I discovered by becoming "Not Me" AND a "woman" seemed to release all my stresses--I could "totally unwind" and relax. Marina had None of my worries and concerns (not that I was particularly "burdened", mind you, but what I had simply "melted away"---and the woman aspect further released the normal "manhood" pressures and obligations. I am able to get a CD "FIX" every couple of weeks or so. Where I take a nap, a few photos and "get off", and I am "good to go" until next time.-----------I find a lot of CDers are like me, and others are somewhat different.----but hey, to each his/her own.

I am not sure if personally a vacation from myself applies to me since I still feel like myself. But I definitely agree how when dressing I am no longer burdened, and released from the manhood pressures and obligations. And besides, my last few vacations required vacations after the vacation when handling my three sons and in-laws.


Reads like a text book case of "i'm transgendered and living as my birth sex is uncomfortable for me', which also sounds like a fairly good description of mild dysphoria; but that's just my opinion and I don't wish to offend.


She wrote this article while identifying as a crossdresser and now identifies as a trans woman. I still found value in her blog being "just" a crossdresser.


I guess that i feel less stressed when CDing. I certainly feel much happier expressing myself as i really want to be, rather than being the person those around me have deemed that i should be.

This is where I am at now :)


Huge stress relief for me, it allows me to escape the world I live in everyday, allows me to forget all the male things and disappear into another world...sighs and the more comfortable I become as a CD with my wife and friends the more I really relax and forget about my stress

I hope to get there.

[countrygirl]

It's a great way to relieve stress. I really enjoy bringing Amanda around. It does wonders to help my stress levels.

[SuzyZahn]

Its my `alternative` reality, which is more about feelings and emotions and less physical/life stress it seems.

[Millisense]

Hi, I know this thread is 2 months old but it's what prompted me to join this site so I feel compelled to respond to it. My apologies if such a late post is not welcome! I had read that same blog Asew, and hadn't thought about it much either. To me crossdressing is a definite stress relief; I call it the Bull Durham Effect. For those who've not seen that movie, there's a scene where a baseball pitcher is having trouble with pitch control, so he wears a garter belt under his uniform so as to not overthink his performance. It works, he spends his time on the mound thinking about the garters and is able to pitch naturally, and well.
I have the same switch-off of my brain when I put on a bra to drive home from work, or especially before bed (when the stress thoughts love to race), when I put on my chemise. I think about the clothes, how great they feel, and my real life fades to black. Thank you for compelling me to join :)

[Piora]

crossdressing is not just relief to me it is a survival mode ...a need and a must ...without it I'm lost and i think all of us are .
Pretty much the same for me. I only have the time to dress at the weekends, since I work full time and I'm too tired when I get home every night. I can last through the week without dressing, but I think about it a lot during that time.

I recently experienced the worst (or the best depending on your perspective) case of the Pink Fog in at least the last 10 years. What's a notch up past the Pink Fog? The Pink Blizzard? Hurricane? Anyway, I ordered quite a lot of clothing from Amazon. One or two things have started to trickle in, and I'm looking forward to the rest coming. On my drive to and from work, I have found that just thinking about clothes that I love that I have already, and the ones I have coming, seem to have the same effect on stress relief as actually wearing them. I never underdress, so I don't get the benefit of that while at work.

[JennB]

Relaxing...Yes. Focusing....Yes. For some of the work I do I write, and "Jenn" time can help focus me and trap me in the house, stopping me from getting distracted by things that I would do outside the house (I am don't openly dress and other than my wife, who is fortunately a willing participant in "Jenn" time"). It can be strangely productive as well as an obviously enjoyable diversion, hobby, etc. for me.

[Michaelasfun]

My wife actually mentioned this to me, saying that it seemed like I dress more when stressed out. I agree to an extent. I didn’t add that I also get the urge whenever a new package comes for me too lol

[Janine cd]

Like Marika, I find that I am less stressed and much more productive when I am dressed. It seems that the warm feeling of being feminine makes me want to live to the fullest.

[Stephanie47]

I've always been of the opinion I am harboring a sister inside myself. She realizes when her brother needs to just let her come out and play. She gives her brother relief from stresses of life. A counselor I see for combat related issues (Vietnam) is of the opinion each person has some degree of dna of the opposite sex within them. In some it is more than others. If I accept that premise it does seem to reconcile what I feel and have experienced. When I was a combat infantryman slogging through rice patties my male dna/hormones were raging. It was survival. Sex and anything sexual was immaterial. Of course, when the stress of remembering those days arises to the nth degree, it seems as if Stephanie arises to shield her brother from mental turmoil. Some relieve those stresses with alcohol, drug abuse, risky behavior. I consider loosing myself in my femme world as less risky and less injurious than other ways to expunge the past. I also found a decrease in a need or desire to wear women's clothing when my wife was diagnosed and battling breast cancer for two years. The hormones of protector arose. Stephanie probably was just smiling in the back of my brain, nodding her approval, thinking "He has it all together right now!"

I chuckle a little when I read postings of some spending the day preening themselves before a mirror, and, trying on dresses. I spend the day doing the domestic chores most women complain about, if they have husbands who do not lift a finger around the house. To me, it is relaxing and a productive manner for Stephanie to be present.

I don't know how this all started. Maybe it is by design. Or not. It is immaterial.

[JudyCDTV]

Huge stress relief for me, it allows me to escape the world I live in everyday, allows me to forget all the male things and disappear into another world...sighs and the more comfortable I become as a CD with my wife and friends the more I really relax and forget about my stress
Totally I agree that it is a stress relief especially when you have nothing to do all day life myself with the house all to myself and I get play dress up and enjoy being Judy

[il.dso]

Definitely a major and significant aspect of my crossdressing.
No other activity produces such a feeling of inner calm.

[NjJamie]

Marina, though there is no explanation for this I am firmly convinced it works, wonder if we should submit the practice to the AMA for those with Anxiety disorders, can't hurt!

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi Asew :hugs:, Crossdressing makes me forget all the worlds troubles. >Orchid..+:daydreaming:+..

[Janine cd]

I have been using crossdressing as a relief from stress for more than 40 years. It probably kept me from total mental breakdown on more than one occasion.

[nirvanna summers]

this is an example of relief from being a hypermasculine male.


Hypermasculinity is a psychological term for the exaggeration of male stereotypical behavior, such as an emphasis on physical strength, aggression, and sexuality.

[Barbara Black]

In reference to Sammi's comments about going outside, and that increase in stress... I have that of course and barely go outside of my own home while dressed, but I also find some relief in that I'm dressing (being) how I like. And yes, I get a lot of stress relief from dressing while at home without the 'outside' stress of being seen.

[Rayleen]

Stephanie, I feel the same way you describe in your post.

[Sidney]

Fortunately I don't have a lot of stress in my life now that I'm retired. However with less stress I still feel calmer and happier when I'm lounging around the house with my wife while dressed. I can not explain why I feel calmer and happier but then I can't really explain why I do what I do.

[Patience]

Ohmygosh, it's like a whole layer of B.S. Just melts away,

Or fresh water for a fish in a bowl.

Xox,

Tina

[Robin777]

For me crossdressing has always been a way to relieve my stress. For years a lot of the stress was created by my having to dress and present as a man. The dressing put me into a different state of mind. Since I came to peace with myself, the dressing is a way to let off the stress what went on during my day. If I don't dress for a few days my wife tells me she can tell the difference on how I am between dressed and not dressed.

[Tracii G]

If it works for you then its all good.

[Pixie_94]

I guess it has had the opposite effect on me for a while, before I stopped doing it.

[Cherylgyno]

Yes it is a great stress reliever. The best as a matter of fact.
At work (male outter clothes) a number of years ago. Every Dept was stuck on a problem. The area big cheese was in and jumping down every one's throat. When asked for a solution some one said give it to anyone other office. We were the 4th office to have the same problem. I asked why we were being given the third degree. The you know what hit the proverbial fan. I was told to take my intelligent butt home to think about what I said.
Extremely tense I went home. I was cursing at every turn. I decided to get dressed and forget about everything at work. I got dressed, relaxed and made an extra dry martini. Then another and another and another yada yada yada. I fell asleep (wife called it passed out). I woke up hours later, all of a sudden the light went on. It was so simple. Over the weekend I did a report. Monday I went to my boss, the area boss was still there.
Both big shots read my report. I was called into the office. They raved over what I had done. The area boss said I don't know what you did over the weekend but don't ever stop. In an avid voice I said YES SIR.
That is just one situation. It actually works every day. I just get a chuckle when I remember the big boss telling me to keep cross dressing. Well that's how I took it to mean.

[BrendaPDX]

Good morning, Like many here cross dressing is a necessity not so much a choice. I went on a 1,300 mile motorcycle ride, and just being around so much testosterone, and the competitive nature, I found myself thinking about dressing. I knew that when I got home I was going to put on a dress. I find it relaxing even if I stay home, just walking around the place dressed enfemme relaxes me. Much to my frustration I have been back for a week now and am still waiting for the opportunity:sad:

[Midessa sub]

This has been a very helpful thread for me.
Thanks
Sharon

[Shayna]

I think it can be a good outlet for stress relief, though I'm not sure if it's because I get to be someone different or that I get to let a part of me that's usually hidden.

[Bobbi46]

yes for sure for me at least I think that stress does come into the equation strongly, especially on those days when one has to be in drab then the need to revert and dress is strong simply because I am and I suppose many of you as well find drab clothes so terribly uncomfortable. For the rest of the time I find great comfort and peace of mind in dressing, this is where I feel my true self, where I am supposed to exist and how my life should be lead. For the most part my life is peaceful and quiet.

[JessikaRobin7]

For sure... some day it's overwhelming that I want to wear heels and my short, sassy brown hair.
Other days i'm just not feeling it... I've definitely been able to attach the "want for Jessika" to stress sometimes. I just figured it was a way to not be my public self and everything goes with it... responsibilities, etc.

Working at home, dressed to the nines... if they only knew on the other side of those Skype conference calls... :-)

[Brandi Christine]

For me it is a huge stress reliever, for me the anticipation looking forward to it and the drive out (it is always out of town for work, and sometimes the drive is in heels!) are a part of it too. When I arrive I first get clean, dressed up & relax, then it's party & picture time!

[stephaniestilley]

It's definitely a form of stress relief for me, it feels so nice to just fully embrace my inner woman lol I feel really uncomfortable when I go a few days without wearing one of my dresses or skirts

[Danielle722]

Yes definitely a stress reliever for me also. Been dressing for years. But of course its getting stronger and stronger.