Christmas with TED

I don't have to worry so much anymore about managing thyroid eye disease (TED) on a day to day basis. It is difficult sometimes to remember those days that revolved around my active thyroid eye disease. The holidays can be anxiety producing for so many reasons and then to add bulging, aching eyes to the mix was exhausting. I chose to keep up with my fun traditions but in an easier way.

Avoiding bright lights and busy stores

I started my Christmas shopping early, but I never went to a mall or department store. Those white lights and the bustle of people messed with my eyes. To get into the Christmas mood I played some holiday music in my home office as I shopped online. Amazon relieved me of the headaches of driving and shopping with eyes that refused to get into the holiday spirit.

It was so relaxing to scroll through gifts on amazon with my blue light glasses on, compare prices and add gifts to my cart. With the quick and free delivery, I was able to send back what didn't meet my satisfaction by simply printing out a label and putting it in the mailbox with the flag up for my carrier. No standing in long lines in the the stores to make returns.

Once the gifts were under control I concentrated on decorating.

Decorating with TED

As with the gifts, I paced myself. My motto was "Keep it simple." My tree is easy because it is fake and pre-lit. Once my husband brought it up from the basement, I took my time adding the ornaments. The nativity scene went up another day and candles and more decorations were put out in their own time.

It's not a competition

During my active TED days, everything seemed more difficult. I was so aware of the pressure I felt by watching the perfect holiday commercials advertising the perfect gifts, the wide eyed smiles of anticipation, the Facebook posts of the perfect trees, all of the elves on the shelves showing up in different rooms in the mornings, their perfect outdoor lights! I felt like the stress of my aching eyes coupled with preparing for Christmas was affecting my attitude.

I had to keep my focus away from Christmas competition and replace it with compassion for myself. This way I felt like I was approaching the holidays in a kinder and more gentle way.  

Holiday baking

This kinder approach made me question my past holiday baking habit, too. Did I really need to make such a variety of cookies to set out on Christmas day and then store back in the freezer Christmas night because nobody wants to bring them home because of the temptation of having them in their freezer? No!

By this time I was really loving my new motto to "Keep it simple." I made 3 recipes that seemed to be everyone's favorite, including mine - fudge, Magic Cookie Bars and Peanut Butter Hershey Kiss Cookies.

As with shopping for presents, I didn't always feel up to shopping for groceries, either. I got very proficient at shopping on picknsave.com and getting my baking ingredients, and most everything else I needed for the holiday meal, delivered on my front porch. A perk of shopping online for me is that I learned I spend less than when in the store browsing and throwing more than what I need in the cart.

Preparing my plan for pictures

I felt I did a good job of preparing for Christmas, but I also knew the day itself was going to throw me some challenges, because after all, doesn't everyone take pictures throughout the day and all of a sudden we see ourselves on Facebook?! I know this is such a legitimate worry for all of us struggling with TED. My motto did not resolve this anxiety for me. I needed a plan!

Maybe I could just smile for the pictures and tell myself, so what if my eyes look like monster eyes, but I'm really not that brave. What about me being the appointed picture taker?...but with everyone and their phones, I knew that would not work either. What did work for me was keeping my blue light glasses in my pocket so when I saw anyone holding their phone up high, I could slip them on. They didn't hide my eyes as well as sunglasses do, but they hid enough of the bulging and redness to keep me comfortable.

My Christmas wish for anyone with thyroid eye disease

Now that my TED is in remission and my eyes are not in control of my days, I am still preparing for Christmas in the same way. By keeping it simple, the spirit of Christmas really shines through.

My Christmas wish for all of you this season is to be compassionate to yourself and "Keep it simple."