Cross dressing all consuming ?

[KiwiKate]

Does anyone else out there feel that their desire to cross dress dominates most of there waking moments? I find that especially when I'm not occupied I am generally thinking about dressing up.
It seems to have increased with age(I'm 44) so maybe it's my waning testosterone ! I hardly get the chance to dress so maybe that's why I'm thinking about it so much.If I dressed more often maybe there wouldn't be this constant desire.Then again a part of me wonders if it's always on my mind because it's how I'm supposed to be dressed all the time.It can be confusing.

[aussie cd]

KK , my thoughts are same as yours, they are on the go 24/7 and more intense now at 51 wanting to do more....just let the thoughts be....don't get confused they are there because that is how we are

[Jenniferathome]

Kate, anything that is "all consuming" is unhealthy. Whether is work, exercise or cross dressing. You need to find a moment to relieve the stress and/or when you are thinking of cross dressing, force yourself to do something else. Go for a run, ride a bike, do carpentry, basically, begin to train yourself that there are other options.

[Talisker]

Not really any more consuming than computer games, poker, running etc but a good balance and perspective is needed.

[Kate Simmons]

If you get the opportunity try it 24/7 for awhile and see how you like it then.

[claire1d]

Personally I draw the line where the "all consuming" prevents to do other things you might need to do (like work, family) or like to do (hobbies). But when it becomes "all consuming" thoughts when I am not occupied, I just take it as a clue that Claire needs her moment.

[Janine cd]

I had a similar time in my life when crossdressing was on my mind constantly. That period lasted for about six months and then slowly dissipated. Now that I am much older, the urge to dress is much less intent and often goes away entirely for weeks at a time.

[cindychan]

I have the need to crossdress at least i day a week. If that doesn't happen I have a crap week at work which consumes me from all directions. If there is anything consuming about crossdressing it is the time it takes to dress up

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi Kate, I'll be 72 in a couple weeks and it's always on my mind if I'm not involved with something else.

[Yoshisaur]

I do find that my urge to crossdress is stronger when i'm not occupied, but i'm when busy doing something the urge is still there but I don't really think about it.

[Ally 2112]

Unless you can do it all the time you do need to find something to keep you occupied .When this used to happen to me i took a lot of walks and it did help .Mind you it was not perfect but did relieve some stress

[lingerieLiz]

Well I used to walk a lot. All the neighbor ladies liked to walk with me. They figured it was safer with a guy even if no one passing by could tell.

[Anna H]

i just go ahead and do it all the time.

I do not miss guy's clothes ...at all. lol!!

[CarlaWestin]

It's not, ALL consuming! I remember to breath every now and then.

[docrobbysherry]

I had similar issues when I came out of the closet online here about 7 years ago, Kate. It got so bad I couldn't think of anything else during every waking hour. Either thots of dressing or something CD related constantly distracted me from my regular tasks.

I solved my problem this way. Every time I had an idea related to dressing? I would either get what I needed for it or slip out and dress rite away. I slipped away from work, got up in the middle of the nite, whenever a CD thot swept over me? I tried it out ASAP! I did this for nearly 3 months.

Suddenly, the desire to dress went away. And, it didn't return for another 4 months. As it gradually grew, I made a deal with myself. I'll dress whenever I feel compelled to from then on. It turns out that has averaged about 4 times a month every since then. And, my mind is cleared of CD thots most of the time now.

[Janice An]

I do try to plan things around being able to dress every chance I get !!

[donnalee]

Or you could try those other activities while dressed (appropriately, of course), satisfying both desires.

[heather ann martin]

I regard myself as being a woman so I always dress as a woman, but I wouldn't call it "all consuming". I do a lot of other things besides wearing women's clothes!

[sometimes_miss]

It seems to have increased with age(I'm 44) so maybe it's my waning testosterone ! I hardly get the chance to dress so maybe that's why I'm thinking about it so much.

One therapist suggested to me that I had spent so much of my life suppressing the desire to crossdress, that my mind was simply exhausted from it, and so the desire to crossdress simply was able to manifest itself more often in my conscious mind.

[Sarah Beth]

Right now I think about it a lot more because I haven't been able to for over a month now. Is that desire "all consuming" certainly not. Most of the time when I think about it is like now, early morning when I am up and no one else in the house is stirring, or in the evenings when this quiet down. Not that sometimes during a day I see something or hear something that makes me give it a thought, but it's not something I am thinking about constantly. I have way to many other things to worry over.

[Ressie]

I'd say at times CDing becomes a main part of my thought pattern. But most times, my mind is completely on more important things at hand.

At age 44 you should still have plenty of testosterone in your system. Yep, maybe it's because your desire to dress isn't being fulfilled. You should be able to direct your thoughts elsewhere at least some of the time. Maybe you should "do it til you're satisfied"

[Teresa]

KK,
It's always there, niggling in the brain and in the pit of my stomach ! Every single day I have to work round the thoughts to get other things done ! I've used work to try and bury it and prove I'm a man ! My testosterone levels haven't fallen off yet, goodnees knows when that will happen ? After fifty years along with a DADT situation I'm pretty well worn out with it !
I need time for Teresa now, I can't be expected to deny it any longer, it's too wearing !!

[Sarah Doepner]

Kate,

One therapist suggested to me that I had spent so much of my life suppressing the desire to crossdress, that my mind was simply exhausted from it, and so the desire to crossdress simply was able to manifest itself more often in my conscious mind.

I'm not consumed by the desire to crossdress, but I do dress quite often now. I find something of value in the post by Lexi and wonder if there are times when the combination of desire to dress and the mental fatigue we get attempting to surpress it leads to poor decisions. You may want to find ways to meet the need so you can avoid the extremes of roller coaster crossdressing where binges are balanced by shame or where we find crossdressing more important than those parts of life that enable us to include crossdressing in our lives. Sherry has a valid take on the problem of anticipation of our chance to dress becoming a major distraction to work or family. I don't know if her solution would work for you, but maybe,counseling, writing about it, daily underdressing, a set opportunity to dress or even an extended 24/7 crossdressing vacation will help you cope.

Regardless of what method you try, keep things in perspective if you can. Work and family can suffer until you find the things that work best for you and if that happens, life becomes more complicated, less happy and crossdressing becomes an escape rather than a positive expression of who you are.

[weyburn]

I pretty much sress 24/7 now and I am loving it
Don't feel I am consumed by it as it my choice and getting ready in the morning it doesn't feel right if I don't put a bra and panties etc on

[Jammee]

Being new to it myself, I do think about it a lot. Have really started looking at clothes in different way.