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

How to Calm Racing Thoughts — Guided Meditation for a Busy Mind | When Your Mind Won't Stop, Part 3 of 3 Finally stopped for a moment, but your thoughts are still moving? There's something to remember, something to finish, and another idea arriving before the last one has had time to settle. If you're wondering how to calm racing thoughts, you can begin here exactly as you are. There's no need to clear your mind before we start. This 10-minute guided meditation gives a busy mind somewhere to rest in the present. This is the third and final session in When Your Mind Won't Stop, hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and paramedic of over 20 years Martin Hewlett. It works on its own, whether or not you've heard Part 1 on replaying conversations or Part 2 on overthinking the future. For support between episodes, Anchored is Martin's app for panic and anxiety, with guided sessions and a free, offline Instant Calm tool. Download on iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 and Android:…

The Return of the Exiles by Lord Dunsany — A Short, Mysterious Bedtime Story at Stonehenge | Books at Bedtime Drift off with The Return of the Exiles by Lord Dunsany, a short, strange and haunting little tale set among the ancient stones of Stonehenge, read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety. Cycling across the English countryside one day, the narrator comes upon two very old men sitting by the roadside: one with a hammer and a blackened, hole-filled leather apron, the other with one eye and a spear. They seem shabby, humble and oddly apologetic. Touching his greasy cap, the one with the hammer asks the way to Stonehenge. "After all these years," they keep murmuring to each other, "we might just go back, just once." The narrator points the way and rides on, but when he reaches the great stone circle himself, he finds a solemn group of about twenty men already waiting among the stones, as if expecting someone. And before long, the two strange old men come…

How to Stop Overthinking the Future — Guided Meditation for "What If" Thoughts & Uncertainty | When Your Mind Won't Stop, Part 2 of 3 Do you find yourself worrying about something that hasn't happened yet, then imagining what might happen after that? One thought becomes another, and a small uncertainty turns into a whole afternoon spent trying to prepare for every possibility. If you've been wondering how to stop overthinking the future, this 10-minute guided meditation gives you a little space to step back from "what if" thoughts. For these few minutes, there is nothing you need to predict. This is the second of three sessions in When Your Mind Won't Stop, hosted by clinical hypnotherapist Martin Hewlett. It works on its own, and if you joined Part 1 on replaying conversations, welcome back. Martin's Anchored app has 2,500+ episodes, easy to search, plus Books at Bedtime, the ambient night light and box breathing. Download on iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 and…

A Moral Little Tale by Lord Dunsany — A Short Classic Fable for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime Drift off with A Moral Little Tale by Lord Dunsany, a short, witty and thought-provoking fable about joy, dancing and the people who would forbid them, read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety. There was once an earnest Puritan who held it wrong to dance, and for his principles he laboured hard. He discouraged dancing, helped to close Sunday entertainments, disapproved of fanciful poetry and always dressed in black. Everyone respected his honest face and his flowing white beard, and agreed he was a good man by his own lights. Then one night, a most unexpected visitor appears to him in a dream and says, "Well done." What follows is a sharp and surprising conversation about laughter and music, butterflies on sunny hillsides, the warm west wind, village couples whispering under the harvest moon, and who really made them all. In just a few minutes, Dunsany turns…

How to Stop Replaying Conversations — Guided Meditation for Overthinking After Conversations | When Your Mind Won't Stop, Part 1 of 3 Do you leave a conversation only to carry it around for the rest of the day? You replay something you said, remember a silence, a look, a change in someone's voice, and your mind starts filling in the gaps. Did I sound foolish? Have I upset them? Should I have said something different? If you're wondering how to stop replaying conversations, this 10-minute guided meditation is a little breathing space. You don't have to work out what everyone thinks of you before you can rest. This is the first of three sessions in When Your Mind Won't Stop, hosted by clinical hypnotherapist Martin Hewlett. Each session stands on its own, so there's nothing to catch up with. For more support between episodes, Anchored is Martin's app for panic and anxiety, with guided sessions and a free, offline Instant Calm tool. Download on iPhone:…

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…

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):…

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…

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…

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…

How to Stop Overthinking — Calm Racing Thoughts & Mental Exhaustion with Positive Affirmations | 10-Minute Guided Meditation Having the same conversation in your head over and over again? Something you said yesterday, something someone said to you, or something that hasn't even happened yet. What if this goes wrong? What if they think badly of me? Before you know it, your mind has gone round in circles and you're mentally exhausted. This 10-minute guided meditation helps you stop overthinking, calm racing thoughts, ease mental exhaustion and step away from the worry loop with positive affirmations. Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and paramedic of over 20 years Martin Hewlett. If you find it hard to switch off, Martin's Anchored app has Instant Calm right on the main page, always free and built into the code so you never need a signal. Download 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.…

The Three Old Sisters and the Old Beau by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman — A Gentle Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime Drift off to sleep with The Three Old Sisters and the Old Beau by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, a tender, wistful New England tale of lifelong devotion and hearts that never grew old, read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety. Rachel, Nancy and Camilla have lived all their lives in the house where they were born. The youngest is nearly seventy, yet they are still the most youthful maidens in the village. On summer evenings, their shadows can be seen on the window curtains playing at graces with ribboned hoops. Each afternoon at five o'clock they sit in state in their cool front hall, dressed in the silks and muslins of their girlhood, bent over their embroidery. And always, on a pleasant summer afternoon, the old beau comes stepping across the road from his house behind the pines, in his silk bell hat and blue swallow-tailed coat…

Manifesting Abundance — Positive Affirmations for Gratitude & an Abundance Mindset | 10-Minute Guided Meditation Do you ever feel there's never quite enough? Not enough time, money, energy or opportunity, and sometimes, perhaps, that you're not enough either. When you're living with anxiety, it's easy to focus on everything that's missing. This 10-minute guided meditation for manifesting abundance uses powerful positive affirmations, gratitude and gentle breathing to help you build a calmer, more hopeful abundance mindset, by noticing what's already there. Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett. For a calm place to return to each day, 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 health app, Thole, is now in free beta testing on iPhone. Join here (iOS only): https://testflight.apple.com/join/aUKB8W7N Manifesting…

Seventoes' Ghost by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman — A Gentle Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime Drift off to sleep with Seventoes' Ghost by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, a gentle, old-fashioned New England tale of a boy, a puppy, a grandfather's beloved cat and a guilty conscience, read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety. Young Benjamin Wellman has wanted a dog ever since he was born. So on a hot summer's day he walks three miles to the village and back to fetch a clumsy yellow puppy he has already named Caesar. But Grandsir, his stern old grandfather, has always preferred cats to dogs, and he won't hear a word of it. Nothing must upset Seventoes, his splendid great yellow cat with seven toes on every paw. The puppy has to go. Heartbroken, Benjamin trudges down the dusty road past stone walls hidden in wild roses and fields dotted with haymakers, to give Caesar away to his friend Sammy Tucker. On the long walk home through the orchard, brooding…

I Am Enough — Positive Affirmations for Self-Worth, Self-Confidence & Negative Self-Talk | 10-Minute Guided Meditation Feeling like you're not good enough? There's a voice that follows you around. It replays something you said yesterday, reminds you of what you haven't finished, and notices every mistake and imperfection. Would you ever speak to a friend the way you sometimes speak to yourself? I Am Enough is a 10-minute guided meditation with positive affirmations for self-worth, self-confidence and overcoming negative self-talk. Today, we change that conversation. Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist Martin Hewlett. For more, Martin's Anxiety Circuit Breaker is at https://calminganxiety.org and built into the Anchored app on the paid plan. Get Anchored 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 now in free beta testing on iPhone. Join here…

Charlotte's Ladies by L.M. Montgomery — A Heart-Warming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime Drift off to sleep with Charlotte's Ladies by L.M. Montgomery, a sweet and heart-warming story of an orphan girl, two lonely ladies and a very handsome cat, from the author of Anne of Green Gables, read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety. Charlotte Turner has mouse-coloured hair, any number of freckles, and a home in an orphan asylum, all brick walls, prim walks and doses of sulphur and molasses. But one spring day, searching for the little yellow daffodils that grow in the north-west corner, she discovers a gap in the old asylum fence where a board has fallen away. Through it she glimpses a sunny woodland road, and along it walks a pretty lady with golden hair and lovely blue eyes that ought to be laughing, but are very sad. That same evening Charlotte finds a second gap, looking into the most beautiful garden she has ever seen, full of tulips,…

Waking Up With Anxiety? — Morning Affirmations for Anxiety | 10-Minute Guided Meditation with 4-2-6 Breathing Waking up with anxiety? Your eyes open, and before your feet have even touched the floor your mind is already out ahead of you, running through the day, the messages you haven't answered, the things that might go wrong. This 10-minute guided meditation with morning affirmations for anxiety is a gentle reminder that the day hasn't happened yet. You don't need to solve everything before breakfast, or rehearse every possible problem before your first cup of tea. Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist Martin Hewlett. Keep these morning affirmations close in 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 something new: Martin is building Thole, a whole health and wellness app for fitness and diet that even brings in Calming Anxiety. He's looking for free beta testers…

The Little Black Doll by L.M. Montgomery — A Tender Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime Drift off to sleep with The Little Black Doll by L.M. Montgomery, a tender, bittersweet tale of love, sacrifice and an unexpected gift from the author of Anne of Green Gables, read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety. Little Joyce is an orphan, shy, thin and awkward, living with her stately Grandmother Marshall, who has never found much to love in a granddaughter who doesn't do her credit. Pretty, golden-haired cousin Chrissy is taken everywhere. Little Joyce is left at home. In all the world, only two things love her back: Denise, the gentle French girl who lies ill in the little kitchen chamber, and Joyce's most treasured possession, a small doll carved from polished black wood, found in an Egyptian tomb and said to be four thousand years old. The whole household is buzzing about the great French-Canadian prima donna, Madame Lauren, who is to sing at…

Take a quiet 10 minutes to reset, let go of fixing your day, and put yourself somewhere safe. In this episode of Calming Anxiety, former paramedic and clinical hypnotherapist Martin guides you through a slow, calming 10-minute mindful breathing exercise designed to soothe an overactive nervous system and quiet a racing mind. Using the power of extended exhales (inhale for 4, hold, exhale for 6), this practice directly targets the vagus nerve to signal safety to your body. Whether you're dealing with panic, 3 AM worry, or just need a moment of peace, there is nothing here to solve—only your breath and room to exist. ⏱️ Time Chapters 00:00 – Welcome & Settling In (There is Nothing to Fix) 00:35 – Introduction from Martin (Clinical Hypnotherapist & Paramedic) 01:17 – Preparing Your Body & Lowering the Shoulders 01:44 – The Science of the Extended Exhale & Vagus Nerve 02:23 – Guided 4-1-6 Breathing Exercise Begins 03:42 – Letting the Rhythm Take Over & Grounding in the Room 04:38 – Gentle Affirmations & Hypnotic…

The Gossip of Valley View by L.M. Montgomery — A Funny, Feel-Good Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime Drift off to sleep with The Gossip of Valley View by L.M. Montgomery, a gently funny and heart-warming tale of small-town rumour and late-blooming romance from the author of Anne of Green Gables, read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety. It's the first of April, and fourteen-year-old Julius Barrett hasn't managed to fool a single soul all day. So when solemn, truthful Dan Chester rides by on his grey mare, Julius can't resist one last April Fool. He whispers some astonishing news: Adelia Williams and Young Thomas Everett are to be married in June. They are the very last two people in Valley View anyone would pair together. Young Thomas is a confirmed bachelor of fifty, Adelia a cheerful spinster of forty, and the two families have never been friendly. Within days the story is everywhere. At the blacksmith's, the mill, the post office and…

Anxious About the Week Ahead? — A 10-Minute Guided Meditation for Sunday Night Anxiety & Overwhelm | Gentle 3-5 Breathing Anxious about the week ahead? It hasn't started yet, but you can already feel it: the things you need to do, the people waiting on you, the appointments, the responsibilities, the messages you haven't even answered. You're trying to enjoy a quiet evening while your mind is several days ahead. This 10-minute guided meditation for anxiety about the week ahead reminds you that you don't have to carry the whole week this evening. Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett, creator of more than 2,500 Calming Anxiety episodes, every one of them searchable and downloadable in the Anchored app for whenever you need them. 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 Together we notice the room around you, then follow a gentle breath in for three…

The Fillmore Elderberries by L.M. Montgomery — A Calming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime Drift off to sleep with The Fillmore Elderberries by L.M. Montgomery, a warm and uplifting country tale of hard work, honesty and second chances from the author of Anne of Green Gables, read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety. Ellis Duncan is just fourteen when his father dies, and he must earn a living for himself and his fragile, worn-out mother. But in the farming village of Dalrymple, nobody wants to hire Sam Duncan's son. His father was lazy, shiftless and untrustworthy, and everyone assumes the boy will be the same. Even his own uncle, the stern and tight-fisted Timothy Robinson, turns him away at the door. Then, sitting on a fence at the edge of old Thomas Fillmore's pasture, Ellis sees his chance. Once the finest field in Dalrymple, it has been overrun for years by stubborn elderberry bushes taller than a man, with roots thicker than his…

Exhausted But Can't Relax? — NSDR Non-Sleep Deep Rest Guided Meditation for a Busy Mind | Gentle Box Breathing Exhausted but can't relax? You finally have a moment to yourself and nothing needs doing, yet you're still braced for the next thing. Your body feels tired while your mind keeps checking, planning and reminding you. This 10-minute NSDR guided meditation, inspired by Non-Sleep Deep Rest, gives a busy mind time to settle without needing to fall asleep, and without having to earn it by finishing everything first. Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett, today's practice uses gentle box breathing for a busy mind: in for three, hold for three, out for three, rest for three, tracing the four sides of a small square with your breath. Want more box breathing? It's built into the Anchored app, where you can create your own patterns, all voiced by Martin. No AI, no beeps, just the two of you finding balance together. Download it on iPhone:…

Jessamine by L.M. Montgomery — A Gentle Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime Drift off to sleep with Jessamine by L.M. Montgomery, a sweet and heart-warming country romance from the author of Anne of Green Gables, read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety. Jessamine Stacy was born and raised in the country, among vine-covered porches, maple trees and great green fields. But when her sister dies and the old home has to go, she must move to the city to live with her brother and his stylish wife, where she quietly becomes the maid of all work in a hot, stifling little kitchen. All winter she grows thinner and paler, and by summer her homesickness is almost unbearable. Then one morning the vegetable man knocks at the side door, and it isn't the usual one. Old Mr. Bell has broken his leg, and his nephew Drew, tall, sunburned and kind, has taken over the rounds, with a spray of honeysuckle pinned to his coat. One flower leads to another: prairie…

Overthinking Something That Hasn't Happened Yet? — A 10-Minute Guided Meditation for Waiting Anxiety & Uncertainty | 4-2-6 Breathing Overthinking something that hasn't happened yet? You've already lived through it in your mind, over and over. You've imagined the conversation, waited for the answer, and worked out what you'd do if things went wrong, and every time you reach the end of one possibility, another appears. This 10-minute guided meditation for anticipatory anxiety, uncertainty and waiting for news reminds you that you can prepare for tomorrow without having to live through it today. Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and paramedic of over 20 years Martin Hewlett, today we make a little room around the things you cannot know yet. For a familiar voice close to hand between episodes, Martin's free app Anchored has an Instant Calm feature that works offline, wherever you are, whenever you need it. Download it on iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 and Android:…

A Redeeming Sacrifice by L.M. Montgomery — A Calming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime Drift off to sleep with A Redeeming Sacrifice by L.M. Montgomery, a tender, moonlit love story from the author of Anne of Green Gables, read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety. It's an autumn night in the harbour village of Prospect, and the dance at the Lyles' house is in full swing. The fiddler is enthroned on the kitchen table, the girls are giddy from the reels, and in a shadowy corner sits Joan Shelley, the pick and pride of the harbour girls, with a pale house rose in her dark hair. She has danced with no one all evening but Paul King: handsome, charming, and by every account in the village, a worthless scamp. When Paul slips out into the chill moonlight with Joan's rose in his hand, he lies in the shadow of the beached boats on the shore and overhears two men talking about him. Every word is true, and he knows it. What follows is a quiet,…

Can't Get a Satisfying Breath? — A 10-Minute Guided Meditation for Breathing Anxiety | Gentle Pursed-Lip Breathing Can't get a satisfying breath? You take one breath, then another, and instead of feeling calmer you find yourself watching every breath, wondering why it still doesn't feel quite right. That constant checking is exhausting. This 10-minute guided meditation for breathing anxiety and anxiety relief takes the test away. For these few minutes there is nothing to perfect, and nothing you need to get right. Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and paramedic of over 20 years Martin Hewlett, today's session uses a gentle pursed-lip breath, breathing out softly through the lips as if cooling a warm drink and letting an easy breath come back in through the nose. Then we let the technique go entirely and widen your attention beyond the breath to the room and the world around you. Take this practice with you every day in the Anchored app, on iPhone:…

Why Not Ask Miss Price? by L. M. Montgomery — A Heartwarming Thanksgiving Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime Get cosy, let the autumn evening settle around you and drift towards sleep with this warm, heartwarming Thanksgiving short story by L. M. Montgomery, the beloved author of Anne of Green Gables. Why Not Ask Miss Price? is a gentle tale of kindness, a spare place at the table and a family dinner that changes a lonely life, read slowly and softly as a bedtime story for adults who want to wind down, ease insomnia and fall into deep, restful sleep. This year sisters Frances and Alma Allen have been trusted with the whole Thanksgiving dinner, from the mincemeat and the cakes to the guest list. It's to be the same time-honoured family gathering as ever, fourteen around the table, until a letter arrives to say that jolly Aunt Clara can't come after all. Now there's one empty chair, and nobody can agree on who should fill it. Then their mother quietly asks, "Why not ask Miss Price?" Bertha…

Why Can't I Just Switch Off? — A 10-Minute Guided Meditation for a Busy, Racing Mind | Calming Anxiety's 7th Birthday Can't switch off? You've stopped for a moment but your mind hasn't, one thought leading to the next, the things you need to remember, the things you haven't finished, the things that might happen tomorrow. This 10-minute guided meditation for a busy mind and anxiety relief shows you that you can have a racing mind and still take a moment to rest, without needing to find all the answers first. Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett, today is also a very special one: Calming Anxiety turns seven! Thank you to every single one of you who has listened at any point along the way. Take these calming practices with you every day in the 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 Together we settle into the support beneath you, notice the…

The Softening of Miss Cynthia by L. M. Montgomery — A Heartwarming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime Settle in and let this tender, heartwarming short story by L. M. Montgomery, the beloved author of Anne of Green Gables, ease you gently towards sleep. The Softening of Miss Cynthia is a quiet tale of a hardened heart, a lonely orphan boy and the slow return of kindness, read softly and slowly as a bedtime story for adults who want to wind down, ease insomnia and drift into deep, restful sleep. Miss Cynthia lives alone in her big, spotless house, keeping neither man nor maid, and she likes it that way. Then one evening an express wagon pulls into her yard and a thin twelve-year-old boy climbs down with his trunk. He is Wilbur, the son of the stepbrother she grew up with, who has died far away in California. With his last wishes he sent the boy to his "good and kind" Aunt Cynthia. But Miss Cynthia has grown sharp and set in her ways over the years. She has never been used to children, she…

Welcome back to Anxiety Breaker, the daily sanctuary for your mind. I’m Martin Hewlett, a clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic. Whether you are listening during a mindful walk, winding down in the dark after a long day, or looking for immediate anxiety relief, you have given yourself permission to pause. If you are ready to take your healing deeper, you can find the full Anxiety Breaker Course over at calminganxiety.fm. Today, we are exploring a powerful concept for emotional regulation and nervous system regulation: finding the quiet space between what happens to us and how we choose to answer it. In a fast-paced world, learning how to pause before reacting is one of the most effective tools for coping with stress and reducing daily anxiety.Time Chapters 00:00 – Finding Your Calm: Guided Breathing for Anxiety Relief 01:18 – Settling the Body: Shifting Out of Fight or Flight 01:54 – Deep Breathing Exercise: The 4-7 Breath for Panic and Stress 04:45 – Mindful Affirmations for Inner Peace and…

A Fortunate Mistake by L. M. Montgomery — A Heartwarming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime Settle in, soften your breathing and let this gentle, heartwarming short story by L. M. Montgomery, the beloved author of Anne of Green Gables, carry you softly towards sleep. A Fortunate Mistake is a sweet summer tale of friendship, kindness and a misaddressed note, read slowly and calmly as a bedtime story for adults who want to wind down, ease insomnia and drift into deep, restful sleep. Lively Nan Wallace has sprained her ankle, and on the very day of the long-awaited school picnic she's stuck on the sofa with nothing but a vase of pink climbing roses for company. So she asks her sister Maude to write a quick note inviting her friend Florrie Hastings to come and cheer up a poor invalid for the afternoon. Meanwhile, quiet Florrie Hamilton, the new girl in Winboro and the only one at Miss Braxton's school left off the picnic list, walks home feeling more hurt than she would ever admit. Then a…

In the second part of our four-part series on relationship anxiety, we tackle one of the most painful triggers: silence. Whether it’s a slow text reply or a change in tone, silence often feels like an emergency to an anxious nervous system. Today, we learn how to separate the silence from the frightening stories our minds create and find our way back to solid ground.Time Chapters 00:00 – Meeting the unbearable weight of silence 02:05 – Why your body treats a slow text like a physical emergency 03:12 – Breathing to signal that the "emergency" is over 04:31 – Visualization: The Lighthouse and the Sea 05:41 – Silence is not information: Why we fill blank pages with fear 07:56 – Becoming your own source of light and safety 08:17 – Affirmations for grounding in reality 09:16 – 3 Caring tips for the "Silence Window" 11:02 – Returning to the day and a preview of Episode 3 Affirmations for the DayLet these words be your anchor when uncertainty feels overwhelming: Silence is not evidence; I choose not to fill it with…

Ned's Stroke of Business by L. M. Montgomery — A Cosy Winter Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime Snuggle down and let the first snow of the season fall softly as you drift towards sleep with this warm, wholesome short story by L. M. Montgomery, the beloved author of Anne of Green Gables. Ned's Stroke of Business is a cheerful tale of moonlit ice, sleigh rides and a boy with a clever idea, read slowly and gently as a bedtime story for adults who want to wind down, ease insomnia and settle into deep, restful sleep. Young Ned Allen longs to take a course at the business college in Trenton, but his mother can't afford the fifty dollars it would cost, and a quiet little farming village in winter isn't exactly full of ways for a boy to earn money. Meanwhile the Carlton boys must trudge six miles to Windsor every time they want to skate, where the rival Windsor boys make sure they're never welcome. There is a perfect pond much closer, behind old Mr. Dutcher's barn, but Old Dutcher is the village…

Can't Stop Replaying Conversations in Your Head? — Guided Meditation for Overthinking & Social Anxiety | 3-4 Breathing Can't stop replaying a conversation in your head? Hours later you're still hearing what you said, rehearsing what you should have said, and wondering whether your words came out wrong or what that small change in someone's expression really meant. This 10-minute guided meditation for anxiety relief helps you leave that conversation unfinished and make a little more room between you and the replay. Listen offline in Anchored, Martin's own app for panic and anxiety, with every Calming Anxiety session in one place and free Instant Calm whenever overthinking takes hold. iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 | Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett. You'll settle into a gentle counted breath, in for three and out for four, learn to notice "I'm…

Davenport's Story by L. M. Montgomery — A Gentle Ghost Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime Get cosy, let the rain fall outside and drift towards sleep with a gentle ghost story from L. M. Montgomery, the beloved author of Anne of Green Gables. Davenport's Story is a short, atmospheric tale told around the fire on a rainy afternoon, more mysterious than frightening, read slowly and softly as a bedtime story for adults who want to wind down, ease insomnia and fall into deep, restful sleep. A perfect autumn sleep story for the Halloween season. A group of friends have been passing a wet afternoon swapping ghost stories, with all the usual mysterious noises, death warnings and sheeted spectres. But Jack, the sceptic of the group, is unimpressed. Every tale is second-hand, he says. Nobody has ever met a man who actually saw a ghost himself. Then quiet, practical Davenport wanders in, and after a little coaxing admits that something strange did once happen to him, something he has never been able to…

Anxiety About the Week Ahead — Guided Meditation for a Busy Week or a Change of Routine | Extended Exhale Breathing Anxiety about the week ahead can start before the week has even begun. Who needs what, where you have to be, how you'll fit it all in, or the unsettled feeling of a change of routine and a stretch of time you don't know what to do with. This 10-minute guided meditation for anxiety relief helps you put down a little of the weight of a week that hasn't happened yet. Listen offline in Anchored, Martin's own app for panic and anxiety. The big blue Instant Calm button is free, works offline and needs no sign-up. iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 | Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett. Together you'll settle into ordinary, unforced breathing, let the out-breath lengthen gently to calm the nervous system, ground yourself through your hands and feet…

The Parting of the Ways by L. M. Montgomery — A Calming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime Settle in, dim the lights and let this classic short story by L. M. Montgomery, the beloved author of Anne of Green Gables, carry you gently towards sleep. The Parting of the Ways is a quiet, late-summer tale of friendship, faith and a choice made in private, read slowly and softly as a bedtime story for adults who want to wind down, ease insomnia and drift into deep, restful sleep. At a seaside hotel at the end of the season, the gossips on the piazza watch the beautiful Mrs. Beatrice Longworth walk down the shore road, and murmur about her unhappy marriage and the attentions of another man. Out among the warm sand hills and golden sea grasses she finds Stephen Gordon, the shy, dreamy, overgrown boy who has been her loyal friend all summer and who dreams of becoming a great artist. Stephen has news. A telegram from his father calls him to Rome to study art, and he leaves tomorrow. But before he goes…

How Do I Stop Overthinking Everything? — Guided Meditation for a Busy Mind | Anxiety Relief How do I stop overthinking everything? You replay the conversation, then rehearse the next one. You go over what you should have said, what they might have meant, and whether something you haven't even done yet will go wrong. This 10-minute guided meditation for overthinking gives a busy mind something simpler to return to. Listen offline in Anchored, Martin's own app, where your three daily caring tips are written down and saved for you. iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 | Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored Clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett guides you through gentle out-breath awareness, with nothing to hold and nothing to count, a simple way to stop following a thought for the length of one breath, five calming affirmations for racing thoughts and rumination, and three daily caring tips for when…

By the Rule of Contrary by L. M. Montgomery — A Funny Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime Drift off to sleep with By the Rule of Contrary by L. M. Montgomery, a warm and gently funny country love story read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety. Out in the turnip field on a summer afternoon, young Burton Ellis tells his father the truth. He has been courting Madge Oliver all summer, they are engaged, and they hope to marry in the autumn. Old John Ellis, known as the most contrary man in Greenwood, flies into a rage. No son of his will marry an Oliver, and if Burton does, he won't see a cent of money or a rod of land. Down in her little brown house, Madge cries her heart out. But her aunt, Miss Susan Oliver, a tall, grim-looking spinster with the kindest heart in the district, isn't worried at all. She went to school with John Ellis, and she knows exactly how to manage him. So Miss Susan squares her shoulders, twists up her grey hair, and…

Why Do I Feel Guilty When I Rest? — Anxiety Relief Guided Meditation | Permission to Rest Why do I feel guilty when I rest? You finally sit down, and straight away your mind starts listing everything you could be doing: the washing, the unanswered message, the thing you said you'd sort out. This 10-minute guided meditation is for anyone who rests but never really settles, and who feels they have to earn a break. Listen offline in Anchored, Martin's own app, with an Instant Calm button for the moments you feel panicky or anxious. iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 | Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored Clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett guides you through gentle, uncounted breath awareness, a simple way to notice the "I should be doing something" thought without obeying it, calming affirmations about rest and self-care, and three daily caring tips for when rest guilt and productivity guilt won't let…

Kismet by L. M. Montgomery — A Calming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime Drift off to sleep with Kismet by L. M. Montgomery, a short, quietly romantic Victorian story read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety. It is a brilliant September afternoon at the races. The crowd on the grandstand is cheering the mare Lulu home in the free-for-all when a young woman drops her scorecard, and the man in front of her turns to offer his own. As their eyes meet, both of them go pale. He is the husband she left five years ago. She married him at eighteen, a high-spirited society beauty. He was older, a quiet scholar who loved books and seclusion. Their strong wills clashed, and after two unhappy years they parted without scandal. Now, side by side in the grandstand, they make polite small talk about the race while old feelings rise to the surface. As Lulu and her rival, Mascot, line up for the deciding heat, he asks her a question she isn't ready to…

The Story of an Invitation by L. M. Montgomery — A Calming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime Drift off to sleep with The Story of an Invitation by L. M. Montgomery, a gentle and heart-warming short story read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety. Bertha Sutherland is bright, pretty and popular at the academy in Dartmouth. Her roommate, Grace Maxwell, is quiet, pale and dressed in mourning, alone in the world since the aunt who raised her died. Over one pleasant school year the two become close friends. As the summer holidays approach, Bertha receives a letter she has been hoping for. Her beloved Aunt Meg invites her to Riverdale for strawberries and cream, picnics, parties and long sunny days with friends. Grace, meanwhile, plans to spend her whole summer working behind the counter of a hot city bookstore, because she can't afford anything else. Lying awake after midnight, Bertha makes a quiet decision of her own. What follows is a…

I'm Scared of Losing My Parents — Anxiety About Ageing Parents' Health | Guided Meditation Anxiety about your parents' health is one of the quietest, heaviest worries there is. It arrives in an unexpected phone call, in an "I'm fine" said a little too quickly, in the sight of their hands on the kitchen table looking older than you remember. And it usually lands late at night, when the house is quiet and you finally stop being the capable one. This 10-minute guided meditation for anxiety relief is for anyone carrying the fear of losing a parent — the anticipatory grief, the caregiver worry, the exhaustion of booking the appointments and keeping the tone light while quietly falling apart. Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett. Today's session uses vagus nerve breathing — in for four, out for eight — with a hand at the base of the throat to settle the nervous system, followed by a calm-light visualisation and gentle affirmations for anticipatory grief, ageing parents, and…

A Case of Trespass by L. M. Montgomery — A Calming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime Drift off to sleep with A Case of Trespass by L. M. Montgomery, a gentle and warm-hearted short story read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety. It is a hazy, breathless summer morning, and thirteen-year-old Dan Phillips is trout fishing up the cool green creeks of the pond at Carlton, under birches and willows that shut out the heat. Dan is a freckled, hard-working lad, and selling his catch to the big hotels at Mosquito Lake helps his widowed mother keep their small home together. But the pond has a new owner. Mr. Walters, the stern factory master, has a reputation for being hard and unforgiving, and when Dan unfolds a four-week-old newspaper at the dinner table, he finds a notice that turns him pale. Anyone found fishing on the pond will be prosecuted. Dan has been fishing there all summer. His mother's answer is simple: go and tell him the truth.…

Loneliness — "Everyone Else Is With Someone Tonight" | 4-7-8 Breathing & The Soothing Touch for Anxiety Loneliness is not a character flaw. It is not evidence that something is wrong with you. It is a signal — as old and as ordinary as hunger or thirst. Your nervous system evolved in groups, and when it senses distance from the herd it turns up the volume, making you more alert, more watchful, sometimes more anxious. That is not weakness. That is biology doing its job just a little too well. And that signal can be soothed. This 10-minute guided meditation is for the quiet house, the phone you've checked more times than you'd admit, and that small ache underneath the ribs that isn't quite sadness and isn't quite fear. We use 4-7-8 breathing — but differently tonight: sitting up, eyes soft, one hand resting on your heart. This is the soothing touch, the same touch you would offer a frightened child, and the skin sends it straight to the brain as safety. Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic…

A Golden Wedding by L.M. Montgomery — A Heartwarming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime Settle in and drift off to sleep with A Golden Wedding by L.M. Montgomery, the much-loved author of Anne of Green Gables, read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety. After fifteen years out West, Lovell Stephens walks back through the old apple orchard, whistling, to see the couple who raised him. Aunt Sally and Uncle Tom took him in when he was an orphan of eleven, "just heading for destruction", and gave him a home, his schooling and all the love he ever had. But the little grey house is boarded up. Uncle Tom is crippled with rheumatism, the mortgage has been called in, the furniture has been sold, and the old couple have gone to the poorhouse. In a fortnight it will be their golden wedding anniversary, fifty years married, and Aunt Sally can't bear the thought of spending it there. So Lovell quietly buys back the house. With the help of kind Mrs…

Sunday Scaries — "I Don't Want Tomorrow to Come" | Box Breathing for Evening Dread & Anticipatory Anxiety The Sunday Scaries are that late-evening feeling of dread — the anticipatory anxiety that arrives when the light goes amber and a small voice says "I don't want tomorrow to come." Not because tomorrow is terrible, but because the last few days were a shelter, and you can feel the door of it beginning to close. It is one of the most common forms of anxiety there is, and it responds beautifully to what we do together in this session. In this 10-minute guided meditation we use box breathing — also known as square breathing, used by paramedics, soldiers and surgeons who need a steady hand at the exact moment the body wants to run. Tonight we draw a long, slow box (5-5-5-5) because we are not preparing to act, we are preparing to rest. Then a warm golden light spreads through the body, followed by gentle hypnotherapy affirmations for anxiety relief, deep relaxation and sleep. Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist…