Nannies Need Self-Care Too! Tips for This Holiday Season

By Tania Bhattacharyya

Most Americans find the holiday season stressful, according to a poll conducted by OnePoll in 2019. The 2020 holiday season will no doubt bring additional challenges with the uncertainty we are facing in the world. Nannies and caregivers can alleviate this unease within themselves by incorporating healthy coping mechanisms around the holidays. Make self-care a top priority and put yourself first, so you have a full cup to continue supporting those families who may need extra support this year.

Set boundaries with the families you work with.

As nannies, you become a part of the family. That is a wonderful thing! However, you are still a paid support person and you deserve to have your own boundaries. Distance learning brought with it unique challenges for all children learning from home, which carried over to parents, nannies, and caregivers. How many hours are you willing to work per day, per week? Recognize your internal warning signs before burnout creeps in, especially if you need some extra time this holiday season for yourself. If you do not already, have a written contract in place, the new year is a perfect time to establish one starting January 1! A contract can clearly outline your expectations, as well as the expectations of the family, so you are both on the same page.

Do not give in to isolation.

You may not realize you are isolating yourself because you are constantly around little humans. But how often are you connecting with your own friends and family this holiday season? Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, the family you nanny for may be the only people you see day in and day out, taking priority over your own family. Take some time this holiday season to intentionally schedule something meaningful to reconnect with your own support system. If you are not already connected with other nannies, a Facebook group or local group can be a great source of support.

Move your body!

With the early sunsets, cold weather, and increased time spent in front of a computer, your body may feel stagnant and sluggish. Incorporate movement into the daily schedule you have for the kids you nanny. Take walks, play a sport, take a virtual yoga class, plan a scavenger hunt, or have a dance party! Some holiday ideas include planning a 45-minute walk after any lavish holiday meals or shoveling snow and raking leaves together.

Get creative!

You probably plan plenty of artistic activities for the children you work with, but when is the last time you nurtured your own imaginative nature? Celebrate your inner child and think about what you loved creating when you were younger. You can try an adult coloring book, take up calligraphy, or decorate holiday cookies. Artistic activities and meditation release the same positive brain chemicals and help stressed out humans stay in the moment.

Consider your holiday drinking.

As a behavioral healthcare professional working with moms getting sober, rates of excessive drinking greatly increase during the holidays. Even this year, as holiday parties are cancelled, alcohol is increasingly used as a coping mechanism as the pandemic continues to spread fear and anxiety. You may notice more drinking than usual in the household, or maybe you find yourself drinking a few more glasses of wine than normal to “take the edge off.” If you are wondering if the drinking has become “too much,” it probably has. There is no shame in seeking professional help for problematic drinking, and treatment is an essential service that can be done on an outpatient basis via telehealth, or in a residential treatment program.

Remember we are all human.

Nannies tend to be over-achievers, especially in the domestic space. During a holiday season in a pandemic, there are no expectations to overachieve. We are all just doing our best, and that is OK! If you have experienced any setbacks this year, including having a loved one contract COVID-19, realize it’s normal to feel sad or afraid, and express your feelings. You do not have to be jolly just because it’s the holidays.

Nannies’ job description is to take care of other people. But if we are not taking care of ourselves, we cannot take care of others – it becomes impossible. This holiday season, give yourself the gift of self- care. Take steps to prevent burnout and recognize your triggers. I believe despite the challenges we are currently facing, we can all find a bit of peace and joy this holiday season if we stay in the moment and take care of ourselves.

Tania Bhattacharyya is the Foundation Executive Director at New Directions for Women, an exclusively female, private drug and alcohol rehab program providing addiction treatment services for women of all ages in Costa Mesa, Calif. The Foundation provides sustaining support in the form of partial scholarships, capital support for building projects and endowment growth to assist the next generation of patients and families transforming their lives from addiction to recovery. For more information, please visit New Directions for Women.