The Covid Closet

[Sarah Doepner]

It seems that any progress I've made recently in coming out and getting comfortable in public settings and around folks who actually know me is being put on hold. The Stay at Home orders/expectations are without argument going to save plenty of lives, so continue to follow those guidelines and stay healthy. But I'm feeling like I did just before I finally started coming out of the closet and it reminds me of how much I hated that feeling of being confined against my will. So I've a couple of questions for the forum.

Do you feel like you've been set back in your progress?

What are you doing about it?

I told my neighbors months ago and they are going to be seeing Sarah picking up the mail, bringing the trash cans to and from the street and doing yard work. It's gotta happen. I've become a lot more open in my on line communication with those who I've come out to. I'm a lot more vulnerable in dealing with this, hoping it will help them get ready for when the restrictions are relaxed. I'm probably going to use this time to come out to more people. I haven't hit "send" on the keyboard yet, but the letter has been written. I haven't made that phone call yet, but the numbers are on speed dial. I'm not seeing how I'm going to make another month of isolation without finding better ways to address this.

[AllieSF]

Sarah,

I think that you have a wonderful plan in place. We can't do much with the home confinement, but you can also take this time to dress mas you would on the weekend if you were totally out and full time. That means jeans and a women's top and shoes, a simple necklace and maybe a ring on one finger, plus earrings. Then you change that outfit everyday just like full time women do. That last part is the hardest because women do wear something different every day. Do your thing, whatever that is, everyday while locked down and just get used to it.

When crossdressing I only really dressed up to go out into the city for drinks and dinner with friends. That meany something more feminine like skirts and tops and maybe heels. Just before I went full time during the summer I made special shopping trips to only get what I expected to wear while full time as a woman during the day, I had all the night time clothes and accessories. I bought several pairs of women's bermuda shorts (what I wore everyday in male mode), many simple tops, some with crew necks others with V-necks, some cotton and others some blended material and a bit more formal than the cotton tops, some sleeveless and others with short sleeves and some women's tennis shoes. I had a lot of women's flip flops. I was ready! Since going full time since over 2 years ago, except for this shutdown, I have never worn the same outfit, bottoms and tops twice in a row. Now during this quarantine I do cheat on the jeans bottoms.
and may wear them 2-3 days in a row before I change them.

So, though you may not be able to do that out in public everyday, you can do all this at home and for those rare restocking trips to the supermarket. You will eventually feel yourself get in a groove and then everything just seems to fall into place and become routine.

Good luck and stay sane. I am having a hard time with that right now, being and extreme extrovert. I really miss my daily coffee shop group and individual conversations with all my friends and new acquaintances.

Allie

[Tracii G]

Not having the ability to get out as much has been kind of a pain in the butt.
I can tell I have put on weight because of having to pretty much stay home. I was doing pretty good with my weight loss group but with it closed for now so the support isn't there.
Just have to power thru it and wait this thing out I guess.