I know I mentioned this dream in another thread here at some point, but it fits here so I'll mention it again.
Early in my journey, very early, I had a recurring dream that I was seeing the world through the eyes of a woman. She was walking in an urban setting. When she looked down, I saw that she was dressed nicely. People walking by would smile and say hello. That's it. That was the whole dream. The amazing thing about it was how good I felt when I woke up the next morning. It took a few times, but eventually I realized that the woman was me.
That, I think, is what made me realize that my crossdressing was more than just a means of relaxing.