Dress to de-stress

[leannejacobs]

Like many on here I have for a long time associated my dressing with my levels of stress, this generally works for me with the added bonus of my accepting wife recognising when I need to dress and actively encouraging me to do so.

However I do feel that I've perhaps played on it a little to dress more often than I really need to at times.
That said, I'm currently in the process of possibly changing my career, (leaving a stressful one) that and the fact that I'm on new happy pills from the doctor my stress levels have dropped significantly.
So much so that my urge to dress has almost gone! I feel I want to when I have the opportunity but simply cannot be bothered, this feels strange, I doubt it will last but I'm actually feeling quite good about it for now.
It seems the dressing was far more stress related than I thought it was.

Has anyone else experienced this lack of interest in dressing? And how long did it last?

[Elizabeth G]

When I was younger I went for significant periods with no interest or desire to dress (once for several years). I don't know if it was related to reduced stress or not although looking back I seriously doubt it. It has been back with me now stronger than ever for quite some time and I can't say that I'm any more stressed in my life now than I was before.

[alwayshave]

Leanne, my need to dress ebbs and flows, but never really goes away. So not really a lack of interest, but a momentary lull.

[Maria 60]

For some reason when I get more stressed my mind pushes me to go for drives dressed and escape my male self. I'm in the closet and only out to my wife and taking these drives are very risky and taking a big chance. When I calm down and my stress levels calm down I come to the conclusion that when I get stressed I'm out of focus and tired. I believe that the drive instead of helping me, it's actually adding to the stress. I have to find a way out of the house, getting changed and put on makeup in the car and once dressed not paying attention to my surroundings while driving. I actually get more tierd getting dressed and undressed in the car and having to sneak everything back in the house and put it all away. I even get more stressed being out taking little risks of putting gas in the car or air in the tires and a chance of being seen. But I don't know what it is that drives me but it does, and no matter how tierd I am or stressed my mind steers me out for a drive and my wife actually knows the state of mind I'm in by my dressing habits. Sometimes I ask myself maybe the drive is my sanity, what seems like a lot of work may be my cure. But when my stress levels are down I still dress at every opportunity in the house but I don't go for drives.

[NancySue]

The “pink fog” is always around....sometimes light, sometimes dense. When stress occurs, some find relief in a glass of wine, a cocktail, or tylenol. For me, slipping on a pair of nylon stockings always povides instant relief. Dressing more de-stresses more. A glass of white wine is good, too.

[Stephanie Julianna]

So, I am semi-retired and work per diem as a nurse only Tuesday thru Thursday. I have minimal stress in my male life and I am probably in the best place personally and financially in my life due to my retired accountant wife's financial planning. My plan was to work until I dropped dead. Not the best plan. That being said, a stressless life has only increased my desire to dress since there is nothing more important to me now other than family. So They come first, as always, and they are the only thing that stop me from going 24/7. The down side is that I have Stephy running around in my mind constantly and it has to be kept to myself. I hope the family doesn't see Steph slowly surface but I don't know how long I can hide the changes. Wait a minute, Bob is not stressed but Steph is. Now I'm really stressed out (LOL). NOT! I wouldn't change me for amything.

[Sidney]

My wife knows I dress. I'm retired so the only stress I suppose I have if being out in drab and stressing over not being dressed. LOL.

[Joyce Swindell]

I stress when I don't dress. Like others I have a job that sometimes can be stressful but going home and doing family time or mindless tasks seems to solve the daily stress most of the time. However, I can throw on a nightgown anytime I want to ...so who knows.. maybe having this choice is stress relieving.

[Jaylyn]

What's stress? I have been retired for many years and the only stress I have is if the oil check will be here on time and if the oil will keep rising. Best thing dad ever did was to cross breed those Hereford cows with a few pump jacks?
On the other side I do get stressed if I don't get to get my girl on at least a couple times a week. I try to stay busy so I won't think about dressing and do various jobs but I'd love to do them dressed if I could. Dressing and working on projects in the wood shop or welding is just not conducive to wearing my panty hose and heels.

[Mickitv]

i use to think that I dressed for stress but now retired dress even more and love it passionately

[Tracii G]

I think for some its just relaxing and they use the so called stress in their life as a way to justify CDing.
The stressful factors are still there.
If dressing makes you feel better then thats a good thing.


Disclaimer:
Don't get all upset and assume I was talking about you personally because I wasn't.

[Beverley Sims]

I am of the opinion that less dressing comes form other activities that occupy our minds from time to time.

One example is when you find a new girlfriend, buy a new car or have a complicated run in with the law.

[missynicole]

For me it isn't stress.....it is wanting to be a woman...to be feminine...stress has nothing at all to do with it in my case....

[Tracii G]

I do feel sorry for those of you that suffer from stress so I am sure anything to take your mind off of what you are dealing with has to feel good.

[Rayleen]

Now living alone, the stress is less and the urge to dress has diminish . I still like it very much but , They're is less urgent and plan it in advance.

[jo_ann]

I have many reasons to dress (IE feel the urges)
* stress (fulfilling the female role helps me escape my male life). stress is usually from work, though I have to say for the most part my job isn't stressful but it has it's moments
* sexual (I do get turned on by dressing, thinking about dressing. Hell, I can't remember the last time that I had a normal heterosexual fantasy)
* simple desire to feel feminine... This is usually not at the top of my list, but I do get in these moods where I just want to dress up just because.. lately I've been finding myself wanting to put together an outfit that isn't flashy so I blend in so I can take the plunge and go out in public.

[docrobbysherry]

After prepping outfits over 2 weeks and dressing all last week at WildSide? I have so little interest in fem things, I can't get myself to even unpack!:doh:

[bronwyneve]

Dressing definitely helps me unwind. I have most Friday evenings to myself, after a busy week it gives me something to look forward to. Being a dad in my early 40's, it is really difficult to get time alone. My wife has known about my dressing for 20+ years, although she does not like to see me dressed she is supportive. She is not overly happy for me to leave the home dressed, however she understands my desire to do so.

[Rachelakld]

My wife tells me it's girl time other when I'm stressed (I get a bit nippy and intolerant, but after a hour or 2 of girl time I'm back to normal)

[biancabellelover]

For me, dressing definitely helps de-stress.

I love to dress, and do so whenever I can (most often when I know I'm not going out again that day). I feel calmer. My wife says I'm more mellow, I feel more sensual and more feminine. I move in a more feminine way.

It's still new enough for me to be a turn-on (often I can't tuck, LOL) but even when the sexual element is less, I still find it very sensual; every action and movement feels nicer (even writing (typing on the PC) or just watching television feels different)

Michelle.

[suzanne]

If i look at it a certain way, maybe there is a stress component to my dressing. But it works like this for me. My feminine side needs to be a participant in my life. So when she is unable to, she feels stressed and sometimes even resentful. I am now on a week long vacation with my wife. If I were prevented from packing a few dresses, skirts and shoes, I would be hard to live with by the time we get home.

[Stephanie47]

Over the years my desire to wear women's clothing has waxed and waned. In my teenage years I had a sexual compulsion to wear women's clothing. I think that just coincided with raging male hormones and lack of access to women. Sort of an enhancement of the experience. In my early twenties which were to be some of my most stressful years ever there was a lack of desire and a lack of opportunity. While in the army, and, under combat conditions, I think my male hormones for self preservation were raging. I believe there is something to the belief, whether scientific or not I do not know, each male or female has some degree of dna of the opposite sex. Survival was paramount. In the early years of marriage which came right after military adventures those male hormones were again raging. Of course, having a beautiful new wife may have had something to tone down that female dna.

My desires slowly resurfaced. I was content with wearing on occasion nylon nightgown and hosiery. It was bedroom fetish play which was sufficient. The escape from the realities of a stressful job arose with getting a stressful job. Over those years of employment my desire turned from simply wearing women's undergarments to finally getting a wig, makeup, heels and dresses. The arrival of kids lessened the opportunities to be en femme, which became frustrating. I use to take "mental therapy" days off from work when the kids were in school and my wife was working. It really was a vicious cycle which played on itself. When I retired and my wife was now working seven plus hours a day my desires became all consuming. Nothing else got done around the house other than what could be done en femme. Finally I became to my senses. Finally having the time available led to a more productive life. Things are more in balance. No more stress. When given the opportunity I usually pass up the femme time. Of course, when my wife fully retires and never returns to daily employment will the stress return? We'll see.