Has embracing CDing improved your life?

[Kathi Lake]

My life generally sux. I have a partner that wants nothing to do with my life. I live in a small town so i can't get out and about and i can't readily get clothes or shoes because of my size....6ft and 220lb. My moods are all over the place and i cry a lot. So ...no, being a cd has not improved my life at all.

Sorry, gotta throw down the flag on that one!

Bron, there are plenty of girls here that are tall and at your weight or larger - they even live in a small town and have spouses that do not approve. And yet, . . .

And yet they do go out. They do accept themselves. They do live their lives not in the shadows, but in the bright and beautiful sunlight. Bron, circumstances aren't what makes your life "suck" - it's your attitude on life, and what you do with those circumstances it hands you. Do you know what a self-fulfilling prophesy is? If so, realize that you have the power to change it. You, and you alone. Except, you're not alone - you have your friends here - the ones that have been exactly where you are now.

Kathi

[tricia_uktv]

Simple answer; YES. For the first time in my life I am proud of myself. And that hits everywhere.

[sherri52]

I am 3/4 of the way completely out and feel much better about myself. There are a few friends that I would lose if they know for sure, although they must suspect.

[SweetCaroline]

Absolutely. In fact, there has been nothing but improvement since I first stepped out en femme almost three years ago.

I have dozens of friends and a rich social life and I've done hundreds of things I've never dreamed of doing before. I'm not saying there haven't been a few bumps in the road, but i wouldn't go back for anything.

[Rachel Morley]

So tell me, for those who celebrate this lifestyle (and whom I admire so much), do you believe that your life is much better -- personally, professionally, health-wise, happiness-wise -- because you have handled it in an open and reasonable manner?

Absolutely - no doubt in my mind whatsoever. For me, today I am very much living the life I have always dreamed of. I have an encouraging and supporting wife and it was her who made me realize that I should be embracing it rather than trying to deny it. Back then I thought it wasn't something I shouldn't be doing. The moment I accepted myself as I am and it was ok to be a feminine, my whole life changed for the better.

[erica12b]

It has improved me, but not my life. Yet, anyway.

Self-acceptance is a non-issue though, just not something I struggle with. I like this about me.

this is me too 100%

[trisha11]

I believe that happiness in ones life is the single most important thing for overall health. Being happy eliminates stress, and living stress free is a huge factor for living a longer healthier life. That being said I have to admit that the last two years of my life have been bad in so many ways but at the same time good in so many ways. I have gone through a divorce, loss of time with my son but I have gained a wonderful caring and accepting SO who has embraced my femme side and has made me feel comfortable with trisha. she has encouraged me to explore my femme being, helped me with makeup, found this forum, taking me shopping, encouraging me to post pics and even giving me my girly middle name. I have experienced so much about my femme side and honestly it has made my inner being so happy. Almost like it has completed me. I feel whole.

[msniki48]

There is no doubt that embracing my femme side has changed my life completely. i am somewhere in doubt about the dressing part for now, but internally i am a different person. I always overcompensated as a guy. did not have a nurturing bone in my body.. i was the disiplinarian to my daughter...the man of the house...typical ahole...now i am not afraid to show my feelings and i have finally learned how to listen, and i love house work, not afraid to cry. the women in my life love to talk to me and share advice...i am a different person than i was about 11 yrs ago.

maybe i'm finally evolving and maybe i am starting to blend my personality rather than compartmentalize the male and female sides


i hope it is for the good

[Jamie48]

Self acceptance is the key to life. I have always been this way & that is OK with me.

[AllieSF]

I am a very late bloomer and am currently fortunate to be single and live in one of the most accepting and liberal places in the USA. Since "getting into" dressing I am happy and very accepting of who I am and what I am doing. No regrets, so far. Why "so far"? Because I only have to deal with dressing and going out logistics around my immediate family and circle of friends who do not know about this side of me. That is an inconvenience, not a major issue so far. If I hopefully do find an SO to love and commit to for the long term, this lovely feeling and situation could possibly become a nightmare in-waiting, if I could not find a way to successfully mix the two together.

[ArleneRaquel]

As Arlene I am a more caring person.

[Danielle76]

In one sense, at least, it's definitely improved my life by accepting it. I don't purge anymore out of guilt. Overall, I'd rather I wasn't into crossdressing just because it's a distraction at times, but it's better to accept it and keep a stash then to purge and re-spend all that damn money to get a decent wardrobe going again...

[Pepper2783]

I feel that my life pretty much rocks! Is crossdressing the reason? Not really. Is it a part of my happiness? Most definitely! By being me - and accepting myself as I am - life is just better and happier.

As my overall happiness spills over into my personal, professional and spiritual life, I would say that my crossdressing does have an impact. By accepting who I am, I am not in a constant state of depression and denial. Life just seems smoother when I get to "air out the girl" every once in awhile.

Does crossdressing throw up some obstacles in life? Sure. It's not all kittens and rainbows, but as a happier person I have a much larger reservoir of good stuff to draw from when hard times do strike.

So, for me crossdressing is a win-win.

Kathi

Kathi sweet hart what you said is a vision with words. I thinks that the best anser I read. It's not all kittens and rainbows) is the best thing I read in a wile.

[Alice Torn]

[SIZE="3"][SIZE="3"]For me, since i got a stash of nice lady clothes, starting in 2005, it has been an obcession. It has brought both fun, and guilt and shame. I have been more anti-social, isolated more, gone to church less. Without it, i used to play sports more, fish more, hike more, date more!Though it has helped me understand women just a little more, I am more of a recluse, and that is not healthy.And, now a gossip has outed me to two good straight guy friends. To be without it, i would have accomplished alot more other things.[/SIZE][/SIZE]

[Imogen_Mann]

I ... Played around with it for years, if playing around is an acceptable term. Only three or four years ago did I really embrace it, and not a moment too soon. Accepting that it's not going to go away, accepting that it's part of me... It's all been good.

Has it "changed my life" ? I think not, in the grand scale of things. I thought it would, but no, the world she goes non turning... Just turning beneath the feet of a sightly happier me.

The thing I have noticed is, how far it is... The distance between being inside the closet and outside. A few inches that looks like a million miles.

[Electra]

Not made a difference one way or the other for me. I just like female clothes and that's what I wear as often as possible.

[Starfire Jade]

Crossdressing is my heroin. I have fully accepted it. I am proud of myself, I told all my friends to see who really is my friend and who isn't. and it didn't change their opinion of me in anyway. My parents are supportive.

To hell with being in the closet about it. I actually get along with women quite well. I'm not dishonest about it, I'm not a pervert. I know what I am and I have nothing more to hide about myself.

[gabimartini]

From a psychological standpoint, it's hard to lead a happy life if you are unhappy with who you are. So, yes, I'd say self-acceptance plays a significant role into improving a TG person's life.

[Gillian]

I struggled for years to accept the pleasure I got versus the guilt after the fact feeling. I had a few almost caughts and a very annoyed SO adding to the external pressures too, my mother almost caught me well did find clothing once when I was about 14, so this is not a new stress for me to deal with.

I Ached inside as I love being dressed and being the girly part, but I have so much responsibility as a son, husband, father, and have to balance all of this too.

Then,,,,,,, I found this place, I found hundreds of kindred spirits and immediately from that second, I found a new inner peace within me, not replacing the external pressure by any means the SO still has a suspicion but won't address it, so I still have lots to go through.

But, I felt, yesterday as I spent all day dressed, relaxed calm deep deepest level of satisfaction ever, and came to this conclusion.

"I dress therfore I am"