Bit of plagiarism but here goes:

What is a habit?

In order to successfully change habits, we have to know what we’re dealing with! Habit definition

Habits are routine behaviours done on a regular basis. They are recurrent and often unconscious patterns of behaviour and are acquired through frequent repetition. Many of these are unconscious as we don’t even realise we are doing them.

Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines habits as:

1.    an acquired mode of behaviour that has become nearly or completely involuntary 2.    the prevailing disposition or character of a person’s thoughts and feelings 3.    a settled tendency or usual manner of behaviour 4.    a behaviour pattern acquired by frequent repetition or physiologic exposure that shows itself in regularity or increased facility of performance

So we can see that habits define our character, our thoughts and feelings and our ‘usual’ behaviours. We can also see that habits are behaviours that are nearly or completely involuntary and because they are repeated frequently, we become ‘better’ at them (increased facility of performance).

Psychology definition

A habit can also be thought of as a link between a stimulus and a response. It serves as a mental connection between a trigger thought or event (stimulus) and our response to that trigger (the response). Repeating this connection time and again forms a habit and affects all subsequent decisions and actions. If repeated often enough, this connection becomes near permanent unless we take conscious action to change it.

For example, a stimulus for overeating might be stress. The stress may be physical, emotional or mental and triggered by such things as a restricted diet, tiredness, an argument, a bad day at work or even negative thinking. A learned response for dealing with this stress may be eating. Over time, the bond may become so strong that our automatic or habitual response to stress is to eat. In psychology, this is known as classical conditioning, as demonstrated by Pavlov’s dogs. The dogs learnt to associate a tone with food and would salivate whenever they heard the tone whether there was food present or not.

In order to interrupt and eventually eliminate this negative behaviour, we must weaken the bond between the stimulus and the response, so it eventually it becomes ‘extinct.’ Hence, the technical name ‘extinction’ is rooted from this word.

OK so far?

This is my own work (source Habits of a Happy Brain):

So why is it so difficult to break a habit?

I've spent a lot of time reading my football coaching manuals and one thing that is ingrained is the continual need to practice routine drills to learn skills so they become second nature. The reason that young players are better at absorbing and learning these skills is that the can create myelin far more efficiently than adults. Myelin is a fatty coating which develops around the neurons making them far more efficient than bare neurons.

The electricity that courses through our brains finds the most efficient route. And that is the myelin coated neurons developed by habits (routine behaviours). Once a circuit has been created is is very difficult to break the circuit (you can't unlearn to ride a bike).

Myelination increase during puberty which is the very time that our crossdressing reaches it's most sexual and the habit (link between stimulus and response) is learned. The 'white matter' which is the part of the brain covered with myelin is so efficient that you feel inept when you try to do without it. The inept feeling motivates you to return to the old path, even when it's not in your best interests to do so. You can't help yourself.

Anyway it's a theory!

Katie

A compulsion is 'a very strong description and one I don't think covers us.. maybe this covers TS girls more than us? More right wing tgirls.

I can give or take and control my Crossdressing also .... It's been two weeks since Esme saw me Dressed more casual I've had some thoughts and lots of opportunity to dress but not the full on urge.

Working from home under pressure to complete a project i could crossdress but as I said before sometimes work \ life \ stress can overule the urge which isnt a good place to be as crossdressing being the escapism which helps to unwind being shunned and stress stays and grows.

It's not a habbit it is a hobby

I think that it is hard to define exactly what crossdressing is. A compulsion is 'a very strong feeling of wanting to do something repeatedly that is difficult to control'. Well I can control my crossdressing. I'm not climbing the walls if I can't do it for a few weeks but the need does grow over time to become more consuming. An addiction is 'a physical or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, such as a drug or alcohol'. Although crossdressing is a habit (a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up) I am not dependent on my next crossdressing 'hit'. I can function if I don't get the chance to crossdress even if I want to.

Maybe a 'habit' is the best way of describing it for us plain vanilla crossdressers. The only thing is a habit indicated that it maybe easy to give up such as biting your nail. I think that the habit of crossdressing is far deeper ingrained from childhood to allow a simple cure and despite reading I have never found anyone to claim that there is a cognitive therapy which helps.

So we have a habit of wearing feminine clothes to satisfy a desire (a strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen). That desire can take many forms but once satisfied we tend to take off the clothes and go back to our normal male lives until the desire resurfaces. There are certain trigger for this desire which will differ from crossdresser to crossdresser but they are not a conscious decision. If you're not in the mood to crossdress you don't and just dressing for the sake of it would not fulfill the desire.

Needing to be in the mood (a temporary state of mind or feeling) would explain the waxing and waning of the desire.

Katie

I've been dressed and so engrossed in my work that I've got up and walked to the front door to answer the door to a delivery guy before I've remembered how I'm dressed.

I didn't answer the door lol

Hi Laura

The forum is social media and is no substitution for crossdressing. It's not a quick fix to cure any urge. It's rather like saying that an alcoholic watching a drinks commercial will get their fix. Not going to happen.

A hobby is defied as 'an activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure' which can describe crossdressing although I do believe that it is deeper than that. Some hobbies can engulf a persons life just as crossdressing can if allowed to run riot. I believe that crossdressers can show restrain although there is always that urge that if not satisfied becomes uncomfortable and even unhealthy.

I don't think of crossdressing 24/7. I can function normally without it ever crossing my mind. In fact, sometimes I can be dressed and so engrossed in my work that I don't even register that I'm dressed until I look down.

Katie

I'll give you some back up Davina Katie and Juliette and others and happy for you guys to call it a hobby

I dont think checking her and tv chix is part of compulsion or fixation with crossdressing its just another form of social media i bet you check facebook and twitter and any other media youre on daily?

Sorry Laura cant agree with your post on this occasion they dont think of being dressed 24\7 ive asked my husband this and like Davina he says in a normal day maybe week theres no thought of crossdressing at all then at some point something may trigger a thought especially if we've planned a girls night in or if he's got an opportunity and the thought to spend some time crossdressed.

Guessing lots here are similar.

Having watched transition street id say Lauras post was more something a TS would be thinking?

Hannah (wife)

Women dressing and appearing more Masculine arent labelled fetish for dressing that way

I feel i have to check the forum as i set it up and administer it.

I check it a few times per week not daily.

I check tvchix for mail again not daily.

Its not a compulsion and checking here and on tvchix isnt a hit to some compulsion.

Its what People don t understand.

For some its a fetish and\or a compulsion i Prefer the word urge to Crossdress.

Its far from delusional calling Crossdressing a hobby as it is a hobby for a lot of us especially some on this Forum. We've discussed the oxford and collins definition of fetish, kink and hobby and crossdressing easily falls within the definition of hibby.

There is also a misconception as the urge is not to be feminIne its to dress feminine and try to look feminine and relax dRessed \ transformed that way.. For some its wearing the clothes not necessarily to appear convincing

The Urge to be feminine is further along to the right on the Trans Spectrum miles away

In a normal day crossdressing this Forum Messages on TV Chix dont even spring to mind.

The urge satisfied after time crossdressed can dissapear for days to weeks sometimes months logging in here or Tv Chix isnt a hit its not serving an urge or compulsion any different to the urge to see if my football team has signed a new player or the daily checks I make on Twitter following politics and sport

The Urge Does completely leave our thoughts which is what people dont get about us occassional crossdressers.

Davina,

You check this forum daily and also chat and check in on tvchix chat. Thus you are getting a daily hit to your compulsion. Notice I do not call it a hobby. It is delusional to do so. If the urge to be feminine completely left your thoughts then perhaps I could see your train of thought in that realm but I just don't see it.

Oh Davina you really need to change your job

Just get dressed up working from home Esme is fine with it she's not scared by your casual look don't be soft

Its not good that what helps you unwind from stress can be overruled by stress of getting a project done its not healthy its not good for you and its not clever surpressing it so you know what you've got to do.

Plan that night in with Esme or work from home dressed

Emma (wife)