I wrestled with this for a long time, and finally came to the conclusion that the worst thing about being a cross dresser was that feeling of longing to dress and then being frustrated when I couldn't. Some years ago I made a decision to address that specifically. I made the decision to dress every day, seven days a week, for at least fifteen minutes. I stuck with it, for the most part, unless something came up that was important enough to prevent it.
From my point of view, it was a success. I am not saying I have escaped the drive to cross dress, but over time the feeling has changed from a compulsion to a habit. Now that I am retired, I dress every day, first thing in the morning. Then ,later in the day, I will change into drab and do any errands or yard work I have to do. I don't feel frustrated about changing, because I know I will be in a dress again tomorrow.
The arrangement seems to work well for my wife as well. The main point is; Make it a regular habit and it will stop feeling so much like a compulsion.
