Calming Anxiety | Guided Meditation, Sleep Hypnosis & Panic Attack Relief

The Hen by Lord Dunsany — A Short, Gentle Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime Drift off to sleep with The Hen by Lord Dunsany, a tiny, wise and gently funny fable about the swallows, the south and a hen with big ideas, read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety. All along the farmyard gables the swallows sit in a row, twittering uneasily, thinking only of summer and the south, for autumn is afoot and the north wind waiting. One day they are suddenly gone, and the whole poultry yard talks of nothing but the swallows and the south. "I think I shall go south myself next year," says the hen. A year later the swallows rise on the north wind with a strange old knowledge in their wings, flying high over the huge and homeless sea, past glittering fog banks, wandering ships and pearl divers, to the summer valleys they know. And the hen? She spreads her wings, runs out of the poultry yard and flutters off down the road on a great adventure of her own, all the way to a garden full of roses. This classic bedtime story for adults is perfect for winding down, easing insomnia and letting a busy mind settle into deep, restful sleep. Dunsany's dreamlike, poetic prose, a quietly funny ending and Martin's calm, unhurried narration make it an ideal short sleep audiobook for anyone who finds it hard to switch off at night. Lord Dunsany, the Irish fantasy writer best known for The King of Elfland's Daughter, is new to Books at Bedtime. If you enjoy classic short stories, you'll also find Mary E. Wilkins Freeman's The Squirrel and The Lost Dog, and L.M. Montgomery's Charlotte's Ladies. The Hen was first published in Fifty-One Tales (London: Elkin Mathews; New York: Mitchell Kennerley, 1915). Lord Dunsany (1878–1957). Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett. 📱 Listen to Books at Bedtime in the Anchored app, offline and with the screen off, so you can fall asleep without a bright phone in your hand: iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored 🧡 For Martin's calming tips, visit: https://calminganxiety.org/calm 🌱 Try Thole, Martin's new health and wellness app, in beta on iPhone: https://testflight.apple.com/join/aUKB8W7N Sleep well, my friend. And in everything, be kind.  Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to help us reach more listeners! YouTube: Watch all episodes at https://www.youtube.com/c/calminganxiety?sub_confirmation=1 Social Media Support: For younger listeners struggling with social media stress, visit https://www.icanhelp.net/ Music: All music by Chris Collins at Indie Music BoxReady for More Calm?Thank you for listening to the Calming Anxiety Podcast, featuring guided meditation, mindfulness, and sleep hypnosis sessions with Martin Hewlett. Our mission is to provide you with proven tools for anxiety relief, stress reduction, and a path toward deep relaxation. Use this episode anytime you need to calm your mind and feel more at ease.

Can't Stop Thinking? — A 10-Minute Guided Meditation for a Busy Mind | Affirmations & Gentle Out-Breath Relaxation (No Counting) Can't stop thinking? Sometimes the most exhausting part of your day is everything happening inside your own mind: replaying a conversation, wondering whether you've forgotten something, thinking about tomorrow while still trying to make sense of yesterday. And when you finally have a quiet moment, your thoughts seem to get louder. This 10-minute guided meditation for a busy mind reminds you that you can have unfinished thoughts and still allow yourself to rest. Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett. For more calm moments like this, find Martin's Anchored app on iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 and Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored. And Martin's new app to help get your body fit and healthy, Thole, is in free beta on iPhone (iOS only): https://testflight.apple.com/join/aUKB8W7N There's no counting today and no breath to get right. We simply notice the natural out-breath, the small settling through the chest, the softening of the shoulders, and let the jaw, tongue and eyes ease. You'll learn to notice a thought without it becoming your next task, receive five gentle affirmations for a busy mind, and three daily caring tips. ⏱️ Time Chapters* 00:00 – Welcome from Martin* 00:10 – When your thoughts get louder* 00:43 – Nothing you need to work out* 00:49 – Finding your quiet, comfy place* 01:11 – No counting: just the natural out-breath* 02:02 – Softening the jaw, tongue and eyes* 02:30 – When the mind wanders* 02:57 – A thought doesn't have to be your next task* 03:35 – Allowed to rest before everything is resolved* 04:03 – A quiet word on the out-breath* 04:40 – Five gentle affirmations* 06:00 – Drifting deeper with self-compassion* 06:41 – Affirmations, once more* 07:47 – Letting the words settle* 08:49 – Your 3 daily caring tips* 09:53 – Gently returning to the room* 10:29 – Anchored and calminganxiety.org* 10:54 – Try Thole on iPhone* 11:22 – Thank you, and be kind 🌿 Today's Gentle AffirmationsRepeat them silently or simply listen, and visualise the colour and shape of each word:* I give myself permission to leave some questions unanswered today.* I can bring my attention back to what is here, one gentle moment at a time.* I deserve kindness when my mind feels busy.* I can take one useful step and then allow myself to rest.* I can notice a thought without following it through. 💡 3 Daily Caring Tips1. Give the thoughts somewhere to go: When the same worry keeps circling, write it down in a sentence, then ask yourself, "Is there one useful action I can take?" If there is, choose it. If there isn't, you can leave the thought on the page.2. Gently reconnect with your surroundings: Feel your feet against the floor. Notice the warmth of a mug in your hands, the colour of something nearby, or the sounds outside the window.3. Make room for a little less input: Choose a short part of your day to put your phone aside and do one thing at a time. Eat something slowly, walk for a few minutes, or sit somewhere comfy. 📱 Take Calming Anxiety With You AnywhereYou are here, and for this moment, you can allow that to be enough. One thing at a time. To make more moments like this part of your day, explore Anchored, Martin's app from Calming Anxiety. "It worked for me, and that's why I built it."iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored Visit https://calminganxiety.org for everything to help you overcome anxiety and stress, and https://calminganxiety.org/calm for Martin's calming tips. 🌱 Try Thole, Martin's new app to get your body fit and healthy. Free in beta for iPhone only, no catch. Install it and let him know what you think: https://testflight.apple.com/join/aUKB8W7N If this helped, please share it with someone whose mind won't switch off, and leave a 30-second review on Apple Podcasts. Thank you for your time, my friend, and for putting your faith and trust in all Martin does. Have a lovely day. And as always, be kind.  Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to help us reach more listeners! YouTube: Watch all episodes at https://www.youtube.com/c/calminganxiety?sub_confirmation=1 Social Media Support: For younger listeners struggling with social media stress, visit https://www.icanhelp.net/ Music: All music by Chris Collins at Indie Music Box Ready for More Calm?Thank you for listening to the Calming Anxiety Podcast, featuring guided meditation, mindfulness, and sleep hypnosis sessions with Martin Hewlett. Our mission is to provide you with proven tools for anxiety relief, stress reduction, and a path toward deep relaxation. Use this episode anytime you need to calm your mind and feel more at ease.

The Squirrel by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman — A Cosy Autumn Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime Drift off to sleep with The Squirrel by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, a gentle, gently funny autumn tale of two devoted old couples, one human and one furry, and a tree full of English walnuts, read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety. Near an old New England farmhouse there grows a beautiful English walnut tree, and every summer the kindly old farmer and his wife look up at its laden branches and say, "This year we shall have nuts." But they never do. The mystery is simple enough: a squirrel and his lifelong mate consider every nut on that tree their own, and all through the crisp, golden mornings of a long, late autumn they race back and forth, cheeks full, to their secret storehouse under the woodpile. By the end of October, the squirrels are the richest pair in the woods, ready for a winter of plenty and love, just as the thrifty old couple are comfortably settled for theirs. Then the farmer's wife decides the woodpile ought to be split and stored before winter sets in. As the old man chops patiently away, day after day, the squirrels begin to grow anxious, and the question of whose nuts they really are is about to be put to the test. This classic bedtime story for adults is perfect for winding down, easing insomnia and letting a busy mind settle into deep, restful sleep. Freeman's frosty autumn mornings, quiet farmhouse humour, a tender-hearted ending and Martin's calm, unhurried narration make it an ideal sleep audiobook for anyone who finds it hard to switch off at night. If you enjoy Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, you'll find more of her stories on Books at Bedtime, including The Lost Dog, Seventoes' Ghost and The Three Old Sisters and the Old Beau. The Squirrel was first published in 1900. Mary E. Wilkins Freeman (1852–1930) and this story are in the public domain. Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett. 📱 Listen to Books at Bedtime in the Anchored app, offline and with the screen off, so you can fall asleep without a bright phone in your hand: iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored 🧡 For Martin's calming tips, visit: https://calminganxiety.org/calm 🌱 Try Thole, Martin's new health and wellness app, in beta on iPhone: https://testflight.apple.com/join/aUKB8W7N Sleep well, my friend. And in everything, be kind.  Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to help us reach more listeners! YouTube: Watch all episodes at https://www.youtube.com/c/calminganxiety?sub_confirmation=1 Social Media Support: For younger listeners struggling with social media stress, visit https://www.icanhelp.net/ Music: All music by Chris Collins at Indie Music BoxReady for More Calm?Thank you for listening to the Calming Anxiety Podcast, featuring guided meditation, mindfulness, and sleep hypnosis sessions with Martin Hewlett. Our mission is to provide you with proven tools for anxiety relief, stress reduction, and a path toward deep relaxation. Use this episode anytime you need to calm your mind and feel more at ease.

Can't Sleep? Racing Thoughts at Bedtime — Sleep Affirmations to Let Go of Worry | 10-Minute Guided Sleep Meditation Can't sleep because your mind gets louder the moment the world goes quiet? The lights go out, the house settles, and suddenly your thoughts begin racing: everything you didn't get done today, everything you need to do tomorrow, a conversation you keep replaying. You're tired and you want sleep, but your mind seems determined to stay awake. This guided sleep meditation helps you let go of worry, calm racing thoughts and use positive sleep affirmations to feel comfortable simply resting. Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist Martin Hewlett. For longer sleep sessions, Martin's Anchored app has a whole selection under one tap for sleep, plus an ambient night light to help you drift off calmly. Find it on iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 and Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored. And Martin's new health and wellness app, Thole, is in free beta on iPhone (iOS only): https://testflight.apple.com/join/aUKB8W7N You don't have to force yourself to sleep, make your mind completely quiet, or stay awake until the end. We breathe slowly with a longer, softer out-breath, then imagine placing the whole day in a bag beside your bedroom door, and stepping into a peaceful room where the bed is waiting for you. Five gentle sleep affirmations and three daily caring tips help you rest, for tonight and the nights to come. ⏱️ Time Chapters* 00:00 – When your mind gets louder at night* 00:50 – Welcome from Martin* 01:06 – You don't have to force sleep* 01:20 – Sleep sessions and night light in Anchored* 01:44 – Settling into your bed* 02:21 – Slow breathing with a longer out-breath* 04:14 – Letting your breath find its own rhythm* 04:25 – Putting down the bag of the day* 05:23 – Stepping into your peaceful bedroom* 06:10 – Five gentle sleep affirmations* 07:33 – A soft, warm glow* 08:14 – Your 3 daily caring tips* 09:26 – Nothing else you need to do* 10:00 – You have done enough for today* 10:12 – Good night, my friend 🌿 Tonight's Gentle Sleep AffirmationsYou don't need to repeat them or even remember them. Simply let the words drift through your awareness:* The day is finished and I have done enough.* I can put my worries down and return to them tomorrow if I need to.* In this moment I can allow myself to feel comfortable and supported.* My body can rest even when my mind is still settling.* I do not need to force sleep. I can allow it to arrive in its own time. 💡 3 Daily Caring Tips1. Let tomorrow wait: If a worry returns while you're lying in bed, gently remind yourself that you don't need to solve it tonight. If something genuinely needs remembering, write it down and leave it till morning.2. Give your phone a bedtime too: When you can, put your phone aside a little before you intend to sleep. Give your mind a chance to settle without another message, headline or thing to think about.3. Be kind to yourself tomorrow: If tonight's sleep isn't perfect, try not to spend tomorrow criticising yourself for it. A difficult night doesn't mean you failed. You can still approach your day gently. 📱 Take Calming Anxiety With You AnywhereYou have done enough for today. You deserve this time to breathe, and tomorrow can take care of itself for a little while. For longer sleep sessions and the ambient night light, keep Anchored by your bed:iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored For Martin's calming tips, visit https://calminganxiety.org/calm 🌱 Try Thole, Martin's new health and wellness app, free in beta for iPhone only, ahead of its December launch: https://testflight.apple.com/join/aUKB8W7N If you know someone who lies awake with racing thoughts, please share this episode with them, and leave a 30-second review on Apple Podcasts. Good night, my friend. And in everything, be kind.  Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to help us reach more listeners! YouTube: Watch all episodes at https://www.youtube.com/c/calminganxiety?sub_confirmation=1 Social Media Support: For younger listeners struggling with social media stress, visit https://www.icanhelp.net/ Music: All music by Chris Collins at Indie Music BoxReady for More Calm?Thank you for listening to the Calming Anxiety Podcast, featuring guided meditation, mindfulness, and sleep hypnosis sessions with Martin Hewlett. Our mission is to provide you with proven tools for anxiety relief, stress reduction, and a path toward deep relaxation. Use this episode anytime you need to calm your mind and feel more at ease.

The Lost Dog by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman — A Moving Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime Drift off to sleep with The Lost Dog by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, a short, tender and deeply moving tale of loyalty, love and a dog's faithful heart, read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety. A beautiful dog with a coat of tawny gold has lost his master in the crowded city streets. All day he searches, nose to the ground, hungry and exhausted, following false trails through a great tide of people. As the city lights blaze out and night settles in, he fixes his eyes on a young stranger in shabby clothes, a man he somehow knows could love a dog, and follows him a mile out into the countryside to a lonely house among the trees. That night, before the hearth fire, the young man shares his supper and sings in a magnificent tenor voice, and the dog, who does not much care for music, lies listening on an old skin rug. At midnight there comes a ring at the door that changes both their lives. Yet through all the good years that follow, the dog never quite stops searching in his sleep for the old master he lost. This classic bedtime story for adults is perfect for winding down, easing insomnia and letting a busy mind settle into deep, restful sleep. Freeman's gentle storytelling, a quietly bittersweet ending and Martin's calm, unhurried narration make it an ideal sleep audiobook for anyone who finds it hard to switch off at night, and a special one for every dog lover. If you enjoy Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, you'll find more of her stories on Books at Bedtime, including Seventoes' Ghost and The Three Old Sisters and the Old Beau. The Lost Dog was first published in Harper's Magazine in October 1900. Mary E. Wilkins Freeman (1852–1930) and this story are in the public domain. Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett. 📱 Listen to Books at Bedtime in the Anchored app, offline and with the screen off, so you can fall asleep without a bright phone in your hand: iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored 🧡 For Martin's calming tips, visit: https://calminganxiety.org/calm 🌱 Try Thole, Martin's new health and wellness app, in beta on iPhone: https://testflight.apple.com/join/aUKB8W7N Sleep well, my friend. And in everything, be kind.  Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to help us reach more listeners! YouTube: Watch all episodes at https://www.youtube.com/c/calminganxiety?sub_confirmation=1 Social Media Support: For younger listeners struggling with social media stress, visit https://www.icanhelp.net/ Music: All music by Chris Collins at Indie Music BoxReady for More Calm?Thank you for listening to the Calming Anxiety Podcast, featuring guided meditation, mindfulness, and sleep hypnosis sessions with Martin Hewlett. Our mission is to provide you with proven tools for anxiety relief, stress reduction, and a path toward deep relaxation. Use this episode anytime you need to calm your mind and feel more at ease.