YARMOUTH, Maine — A chiropractor in Yarmouth created a meditation program to help working moms handle the stress that comes with being a working parent.
Dr. Allyson Coffin created 'Happier' for moms to learn how to meditate and stick with the practice.
Her philosophy centers around parents living in the present to take care of themselves, so they can take care of the rest of their responsibilities with a sense of calm.
"Moms are going crazy. We're going crazy because the mental load of being a mother is really hard," Coffin said of the patients she works with.
Coffin started practicing meditation 15 years ago. She now has two children and runs her chiropractic practice, Align with Wellness in Yarmouth.
"I was kind of drawn to it. Like, I would like to have a little more peace inside myself as opposed to some outside entity giving it to me. I want to be the boss of myself," Coffin said."[It] has changed my life, my family's life, and my practices life. And I decided in 2020 to start to teach this to other moms so they can feel the benefits of it."
Her program, "Happier," costs about $200 per month and offers either one-on-one sessions or group sessions with other moms.
"It's selfish of me not to share this with other human beings," Coffin said. "Stressful things happen. Stressful things are going to happen all the time. That's just how life is. To learn how to deal with, and not just deal with it, but be happy in your own space, no matter what's going on around you — like being the eye of the storm is an incredible place to be."
She is not the only health professional noticing more stress on moms. Dr. Quynn Morehouse, a clinical psychologist in Cape Elizabeth, spoke with NEWS CENTER Maine in June about how having kids can exacerbate anxiety and depression, especially in new moms.
"The perception of 'looking great, everything's great' is not realistic for us as mothers. It's okay to be sad. It's okay to have feelings. It's okay to be stressed. It's okay to not know what you're doing. It's also okay to ask for help," Coffin said. "You can have your children and love them and want the absolute best for them, and nurture them. But if you're not set yourself, it's not going to go anywhere. You're not going to be able to help them, and I think we all as mothers want our children to thrive no matter what their circumstance is."