Safe Harbor Counseling of Missouri, LLC

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Safe Harbor Counseling of Missouri, LLC

Unlocking Your Strength in Mental Wellness. Discover Your Safe Harbor for Healing and Growth.

Fostering resilience, understanding, and self-discovery on your journey. 💙 Meet Michael Mason, M.Ed., LPC, NCC, the dedicated Lead Therapist and Founder of Safe Harbor Counseling of Missouri, LLC. Michael, a proud veteran, brings a wealth of knowledge, empathy, and expertise to his practice, alongside a unique understanding of the challenges faced by fellow veterans. As a Licensed Professional Counselor and Nationally Certified Counselor, his approach is deeply rooted in understanding, compassion, and holistic care. Michael's leadership at Safe Harbor is marked by his commitment to creating a sanctuary for all individuals seeking support, with a special empathy towards veterans' unique experiences. His vision ensures that every client receives personalized, empathetic care in a safe and nurturing environment, making a profound difference in the lives of those he serves.

01/03/2026

You feel the holidays are over, but your body hasn’t caught up yet.

You experience the quiet settling in, the distractions fading, and instead of relief, you notice your shoulders drop, your breath slow, and just how tired you really are.

January doesn’t feel like a fresh start. It feels exposing.

This Mindful Minute was created for this moment, when nothing magically changed overnight and you’re realizing how much you’ve been carrying. It’s not about fixing anything or forcing calm. It’s a pause. A breath. A reminder that you don’t have to figure everything out today.

If this minute resonates, the full reflection goes deeper. The blog speaks directly to what it’s like to carry New Year depression and emotional exhaustion after the holidays, and to still be here anyway.

Read the full article here:
https://safeharbor4u.com/harbor-lights-blog/f/after-the-holidays-new-year-depression-emotional-exhaustion

You’re not behind. You’re not broken. And you don’t have to carry this alone.

01/02/2026

After the Holidays: New Year Depression & Emotional Exhaustion

You feel like the holidays are over, but nothing feels lighter.

You experience the decorations coming down, the messages slowing, and the quiet settling in, and instead of relief, your body finally slows down enough to feel just how tired you are.

January doesn’t feel like a fresh start. It feels exposing.

You wake up and realize nothing magically changed overnight. The weight you carried through the holidays is still there. The exhaustion you pushed through is catching up with you.

You may feel worn down, isolated, or defeated right now. You might notice that the pressure to feel motivated or hopeful in the New Year only sharpens the sense that you’re behind or failing, even though you’ve been trying for a long time.

You experience New Year depression not because you’re ungrateful, but because you’ve been surviving. Emotional exhaustion doesn’t disappear just because the calendar flips. And feeling this way doesn’t mean you need to fix anything right now.

This is the final post in our Holiday Blog Series. It’s written for you if you made it through the season and are now sitting with the aftermath. It’s not about resolutions or fixing yourself. It’s about naming what this moment actually feels like and reminding you that care doesn’t end when the holidays do.

You can read the full post here:
https://safeharbor4u.com/harbor-lights-blog/f/after-the-holidays-new-year-depression-emotional-exhaustion

If this resonates, you’re not alone. Quiet struggles still count. And you don’t have to carry this by yourself.

01/01/2026

💪 Week 90 of five-days-a-week self-care.

Last week, Safe Harbor Counseling took its first full week off, no content, no check-ins, just a true reset. Sometimes self-care looks like stepping away entirely so you can return with clarity and intention.

This week was about easing back in.
Movement. Stretching. Time with Anemone. A day off on New Year’s to craft and be with family.

💡 Reflection for the week:
What does self-care look like for you in 2026?

Is it consistency? Flexibility? Rest without guilt?
Is it knowing when to push and when to pause?

✨ As this new year begins, may your self-care be honest, sustainable, and shaped by compassion rather than pressure.

One intentional choice at a time. 🌊

12/20/2025

This Mindful Minute is for you if the holidays feel quieter, heavier, and harder to carry than you expected.

You might be moving through your days on autopilot, functioning on the outside while inside you feel untethered, worn thin, or caught between missing what mattered and trying to move forward before you’re ready.

This minute isn’t here to fix anything.
It’s an invitation to slow down, maybe noticing your breath, the weight of your feet, or the place your body meets the chair and let yourself be here without pressure.

If this resonates, the full blog explores this experience more deeply, especially the grief that comes from losing a community you didn’t choose to leave, and the permission to hold both old anchors and new beginnings at the same time.

Read the article here:
https://safeharbor4u.com/harbor-lights-blog/f/holiday-grief-support-%7C-losing-community-during-the-holidays

You don’t have to rush this season.
Sometimes, slowing down is the care.

12/19/2025

The holidays don’t always get easier as December goes on.
Sometimes you feel them get quieter, heavier, and harder to carry alone.

If you’ve lost a community you didn’t choose to leave, this season can feel especially disorienting. You experience the holidays not as a time of connection, but as a reminder of what’s missing, the people, routines, and sense of belonging that once grounded you.

You may look like you’re functioning on the outside.
Inside, you feel untethered. Worn thin. Caught between honoring what you lost and pushing yourself to move forward before you’re ready.

You might want relief and want to hold on at the same time.
You might tell yourself you should be past this by now.
You might wonder if missing what mattered means you’re stuck.

But you’re not failing for feeling this way.
And you don’t have to erase what mattered in order to keep going.

Missing what grounded you doesn’t mean you’re stuck, it means it was real.

This week’s blog speaks directly to that experience, without trying to fix it or rush you through it.

Read it here:
https://safeharbor4u.com/harbor-lights-blog/f/holiday-grief-support-%7C-losing-community-during-the-holidays

If this season feels heavy, you’re allowed to move through it slowly and you don’t have to do it alone.

12/18/2025

💪 Week 88 of five-days-a-week self-care
Same commitment. New challenges.

This week was a reminder that sometimes your body doesn’t need more, it needs different. Mixing intensity, recovery, and focus helped recharge both energy and motivation.

Anemone and I moved together, stretched together, and faced new challenges side by side. From lower-body strength to long bag rounds and a full reset day, every shift had a purpose.

💡 This week’s reflection:
Change up and charge up.
When self-care starts to feel flat, a thoughtful change can wake your system back up. Growth often comes from curiosity, not pushing harder.

✨ However you move this week; faster, slower, or differently, showing up with intention is what builds momentum.

12/17/2025

🌊 Safe Harbor Counseling Featured in VoyageSTL 🌊

I’m honored to share that Safe Harbor Counseling of Missouri was recently featured in VoyageSTL’s Inspiring Stories / Hidden Gems series.

This piece tells the story behind Safe Harbor, why it was created, who we serve, and the values that guide our work every day. It reflects my journey as a Veteran, a trauma-informed therapist, and someone who believes deeply that healing happens when people are met with compassion, curiosity, and respect for their lived experience.

Safe Harbor exists to be a refuge, especially for those who have spent years pushing through, masking pain, or feeling unseen. Veterans. LGBTQ+ individuals. Neurodivergent folks. Caregivers. Anyone carrying trauma, anxiety, depression, or identity-based wounds. You deserve support that honors the whole of who you are.

I’m grateful to VoyageSTL for creating space for local, mission-driven businesses to share their stories in their own words, and for highlighting the people who quietly show up for their communities every day.

📖 You can read the full article here:
👉 https://voyagestl.com/interview/hidden-gems-meet-michael-mason-m-ed-lpc-ncc-of-safe-harbor-counseling-of-missouri

If this story resonates with you, feel free to share it, or reach out. You don’t have to navigate your healing alone.

—
Michael Mason, M.Ed., LPC, NCC
Founder & Lead Therapist
Safe Harbor Counseling of Missouri

12/13/2025

You feel it, the emotional weight that settles in as the holidays move on.
You experience the quiet moments hitting harder than expected.
You notice your body carrying more tension, more exhaustion, more “just get through it.”

This Mindful Minute is an invitation to pause.
To breathe.
To find your footing again, even if only for sixty seconds.

You don’t have to fix anything right now.
You don’t have to push through.
You don’t have to pretend you’re okay.

Just slow down with us for one minute and let your body feel a little more grounded.

This guided pause was inspired by our latest Harbor Lights Blog, “When the Holidays Hurt: Finding Your Ground in December.”
You can read the full article here:
https://safeharbor4u.com/harbor-lights-blog/f/when-the-holidays-hurt-finding-your-ground-in-december

You’re not broken.
You’re hurting and you deserve steadiness and support.

🕯️ When life sends you storms, look for Safe Harbor.

12/12/2025

💙 When the Holidays Hurt, You’re Not Alone 💙

You feel it now, the heaviness that settles in as December moves on.

You experience the quiet house after the kids leave.
You feel the long evenings stretch out in front of you.
You carry anger, grief, exhaustion, and loneliness while still trying to hold everything together.

You may be moving through the holidays after a breakup or divorce.
You may be sharing parenting time for the first time.
You may be showing up every day while feeling like you’re running on empty.

And when this season hurts more than you expected, you wonder if something is wrong with you.

It isn’t.

You are not broken, you are hurting, and that makes sense.

Our latest Harbor Lights Blog, “When the Holidays Hurt: Finding Your Ground in December,” speaks directly to what you’re experiencing right now, the point in the season when the emotional weight settles in and pretending becomes exhausting.

You’ll find gentle, human ways to steady yourself without pushing through, minimizing your pain, or forcing holiday cheer.

This post is for you if:
• you feel overwhelmed or constantly on edge
• the quiet moments hit the hardest
• you’re tired of being told to “stay positive”
• you’re just trying to make it through December intact

You don’t have to carry this season alone.

Read the full blog here:
https://safeharbor4u.com/harbor-lights-blog/f/when-the-holidays-hurt-finding-your-ground-in-december

🕯️ When life sends you storms, look for Safe Harbor.

12/11/2025

💪 Week 87 of five-days-a-week self-care!
This week was all about breathing deeply through the rounds and trusting my body, even when the rhythm of the week shifted.

Anemone joined me for most of our workouts, and her energy made each morning lighter. On Thursday she was sick, so I completed the 9-round challenge solo. It was a reminder that some days we train together, and some days we show up alone, but either way, the breath carries us through.

Our Week at a Glance:
Fri: Lower body — 6 rounds gloved on the bag, 3 weighted squats, 3 weighted knee-ups
Mon: 12 rounds — 6 bag rounds, 3 push-ups, 3 sit-ups/jump rope (with Anemone)
Tue: Lower body repeat (with Anemone)
Wed: Full stretch + yoga (together)
Thu: 9 rounds, 3 minutes on / 1 minute rest (solo)

💡 This Week’s Reflection:
Where did you notice yourself breathing deeply and trusting your body?
In the hard rounds, the quiet stretches, the moments of rest, or even the unexpected detours, your breath is always inviting you back home.

✨ Every time you show up for your body, your body shows up for you.

12/06/2025

Before you watch, place a hand on your chest and take one slow breath.
If your body feels tight or heavy right now, you’re not doing anything wrong, you’ve simply been carrying more than any one person should have to hold.

You feel pressure to show up with energy you don’t have.
You experience moments where even small tasks feel overwhelming.
And sometimes, you forget what it feels like to have one minute that belongs to you.

This Mindful Minute gives you that moment, a quiet pause to soften the part of you that’s been bracing, running on empty, or moving through the holidays in survival mode.

“You’re overwhelmed, not broken. And you deserve a breath that doesn’t hurt.”

This reel is inspired by this week’s Harbor Lights Blog article,
“Holiday Emotional Overwhelm: When You’re Carrying Too Much.”
You can read the full post here:
👉 https://safeharbor4u.com/harbor-lights-blog/f/holiday-emotional-overwhelm-when-youre-carrying-too-much

Whether you’re a caregiver, a partner, a parent, or someone quietly holding up your world, you deserve a season that makes room for your humanity.

💛 Take this minute for yourself. Let your breath come back.

12/05/2025

🌿 Holiday Survival Series – Week 3
“Holiday Emotional Overwhelm: When You’re Carrying Too Much”

Take a slow breath right here.
If your shoulders tightened just reading the title, nothing is wrong with you, that’s your body showing you how much you’ve been holding.

This time of year can feel heavier than you expect.
You may catch yourself bracing, moving through the day on autopilot, or trying to hold everything together for everyone else while feeling like you’re quietly falling apart inside.

You feel pressure to be cheerful.
You experience exhaustion in your bones, overstimulation from even small things, and moments where you wonder why everyone else seems to cope while you feel overwhelmed.

But none of this means you're failing.
You're overwhelmed, not broken.
And your feelings make sense.

“You’re not failing, you’re tired. And tired people deserve care, not criticism.”

This week’s blog speaks directly to the part of you that is stretched thin, longing for a moment of peace.
It gives you gentle steps to help you understand what’s happening inside your body, soften the pressure you’ve been under, and find a bit of steadiness in a season that often asks too much of you.

Read the full post here:
👉 https://safeharbor4u.com/harbor-lights-blog/f/holiday-emotional-overwhelm-when-youre-carrying-too-much

If the holidays feel heavy for you, you don’t have to push through alone.
You deserve support, space to breathe, and a season that makes room for your humanity too.

💛 You matter. You’re allowed to slow down. You’re allowed to feel exactly what you feel.

Address

St. Louis, MO
63074

Website

https://www.safeharbor4me.com/, https://safeharbor4u.com/harbor-lights-blog, https://www.psychologytoday.com/profile/126

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