Comfortable vs Exhilarated

[Ilsa]

AH! It is good to be Ilsa once more. After a long strenuous month I've been able to relax and dress without any encumbrance and it has made me more comfortable. Which got me to thinking about why I dress now. Is it because it makes me feel more at ease or because it is still exhilarating? I've come to the realization that I'm approaching the age where I'm much more comfortable and don't get as exhilarated as much as I use to. Not that I don't still get that rush of excitement every once in a while, I still do, it's just not as frequent.

I'd like to know amongst my more experienced sisters how they feel about their dressing and if or when they get too comfortable how do they reinvigorate themselves.

Always,

Ilsa

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi Ilsa, I have been in this program for almost 68yrs. And it just keeps getting better.

[JocelynRenee]

Honestly, finally being comfortable in my own skin is the most exhilarating feeling I can imagine.

[Carmen]

Yes Ilsa isn't that such a nice feeling to be your true self and the relaxing sensations that go with that.

To reinvigorate myself, I'll go shopping. There is something that happens when you find a dress or an outfit. I can hardly wait to get home to wear my new clothes and it is almost like the first time all over again.
Everything is fresh and alive and I'll go out and enjoy the thrill of wearing my latest purchases.

BTW I love your avatar photo.
Carmen

[charlenesomeone]

Still get that excitement. More in the head now than in other ways. It
just feels right. Wish it could be more often than it is.
Don't know if its a rush, but much more relaxed.
Char

[Marcelle]

Hi Ilsa,

I am not an experienced dresser since I have only been presenting Isha for a year. However I fine being comfortable and feeling invigorated tend to run hand and hand. When I present as Isha in public or private I am being true to a part of myself and that invigorates me.

Hugs

Isha

[EllenJo]

Ilsa, the rush of dressing does seem to become less frequent but for me it is replaced with a feeling of peace. I feel more natural when dressed than I do in drab. A new addition to my wardrobe does bring back some of the original exhilaration. When I was in a DADT relationship opportunities to dress were few and far between and always seemed to give me a rush. Now that I can dress whenever I want to it is more of a natural, comfortable peaceful feeling that I totally enjoy. There are still times when I am just doing something normal around the house when I catch a quick glimpse of myself in a mirror or window and see a natural woman that gives me what I call "feminine euphoria" that is a real rush when it happens.
Hugs
Ellen Jo

[Melissa in SE Tn]

Excellent response by ellenjo.

[Cheryl T]

I'm in agreement with Jocelyn.
Just being me and comfortable that way is somewhat of a rush. It took a long time for me to realize that it's not really about the clothes, but about how I feel. Seems contradictory to a point, but I am more comfortable dressed this way than drab. I feel more like me. It has helped me be more at home the other way too, but I most certainly am more me like this.

[Beverley Sims]

Dressing is great relaxation,therapy and is a healthy past time.

Not dressing for a period is frustrating, causes anxiety, moodiness, definitely unheathy and should be avoided at all costs.

[Eringirl]

For me, it is being more comfortable, anchored, if you will. And being comfortable reenergizes me, so I guess it is both for me.

[Madilyn A.]

In my teens it was 95% exhilaration, in my 20s it was 80% exhilaration, in my 30s it was 70% exhilaration, in my 40s it was 50% exhilaration, in my 50s it was 70% comfort, now in my 60s it is 90% comfort and relaxation, I still get a thrill at times.

[JerseyGirlDonna]

To me, being comfortable and feeling "right" is the ultimate feeling.

[carhill2mn]

Presenting as a woman is now the "norm" for me. I definitely enjoy all that entails, but it is no longer exhilarating.

[kimdl93]

I don't know if I'd use the word comfort, but certainly at peace and at ease. Once I'm dressed, I feel complete and "right" if that makes any sense at all.

[Cheryl Ann Owens]

Today for me it is about just being the woman I always wanted to be, and felt that I always was. The only exhilirating thing for me now is shopping for something new and maintaining my wardrobe and nothing else. I just feel right living 24/7 unless I absolutely have to present as male. Retirement makes it easy. I don't need to fully transition. I would except for many social, medical, and financial reasons. But life can still be exhilirating to be who I am with my life situation!

Cheryl

[docrobbysherry]

I almost never feel comfortable dressed. I don't want to!

What with a tite tuck, girdles, bra and heavy forms? Hi heels? The higher the better. A warm wig on my head and tite, warm, and often restrictive clothing?

I love to be constantly reminded of what I'm wearing, feel, and look like!

At age 70, I can't imagine NOT feeling excitement and accelerated when I dress. If I do, I may just quit----

[Ally 2112]

Even thou the thrill in the begining was such a rush and has somewhat faded i still feel invigorated every time i dress .I know it is because the more compfortable and more aceppting i feel about myself the better it has got for me in a weird normal way .There is not so many up,s and downs

[ArleneRaquel]

I feel more that comfortable dressing enfemme, after sixty years of doing so, and doing it 24/7 for over 10 years, it is still exhilarating. When I look into the mirror and see Arlene dressed, in full makeup, wig, and glasses I feel so good. I cat's pass, not very often, but I still love my mirror look.

[Jannis]

I also get a feeling of great comfort when I dress. In my everyday things ( I underdress daily) it is business as usual. I do get a bit excited putting on my garters and thigh highs with heelsand a nice dress or outfit. I love to wear frilly, lacy things when I find myself excited a bit. After a short while wearing my fancy items, I relax, feel natural and hate to take them off at bedtime.

[Tina_gm]

While it has only been a couple of years for me where I have accepted it for myself, during those two years it has always been a comfortable and relaxing feeling. btw, I am about to turn 50.

[Jorja]

Being TS and not CD, I am always comfortable and relaxed just being me. Now when I don't really feel like getting dressed it seems someone always shows up with a cattle prod. That will reinvigorate a person. Ouch!

[Amanda L.]

Comfortable? Well when tou consider the bra straps, shape wear, pull of garters, corsets, walking in heels. Yes absolutely!
Comfort can be derived from the feel these have on the body. Consider a lovely pair of stockings with great compression and silkiness
Exhilaration? I think I just covered that but think about putting on a new outfit, the sensuousness of the fabrics. It still does it for me.
Now combine all of that with going out past the front door, venturing into public territory, feeling a cool breeze around your legs. Man! You would have to be mad NOT to dress up.
The day I no longer feel this way about being femme is the day I will hang up my wig
Luv
Amanda

[ophelia]

I think pour moi, because I dress only for public display and rather infrequently there is always a welcome "newness" to donning femme clothes, stockings and shapewear. It's not "discomfort" per se. The chance that I might be discovered is part of the excitement of dressing. Although I will agree that it takes more feminization than before it still is "uncomfortably" exciting to be dressed up, made up, coiffed up and perfumed up.

[EllenJo]

I don't know if I'd use the word comfort, but certainly at peace and at ease. Once I'm dressed, I feel complete and "right" if that makes any sense at all.

Kim, It makes total sense. Exactly the way I feel.
Hugs
Ellen Jo