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

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 scho...

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 losi...

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...

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.

 

T...

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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.

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 elev...

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.

 
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Uncle Richard's New Year's Dinner by L.M. Montgomery — A Heartwarming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Curl up and drift off to sleep with Uncle Richard's New Year's Dinner by L.M. Montgomery, the beloved author of Anne of Green Gables, read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety.

 

It's New Year's morning in the little village of Quincy, and Prissy Baker is buying matches at the store when her Uncle Richard walks in. He doesn't look at her. For eight long...

World Mental Health Day — A 10-Minute Guided Meditation for When You Just Need Ten Minutes to Yourself

 

Today, 10 October, is World Mental Health Day. If you've spent the day holding yourself together, being fine, answering properly and getting on with it, this 10-minute guided meditation is the quiet ten minutes you've been needing. Nothing to prove, nothing to achieve. The time is yours.

 

Martin guides you through simple, gentle breathing for anxiety and stress: no counting and no breath holding, just noticing the breath you're already taking and letting the out-breath soften.

The Sums That Came Right by E. Nesbit — A Calming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Drift off to sleep with The Sums That Came Right by E. Nesbit, a gentle and funny Edwardian fairy tale read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety.

 

Edwin can't see the point of lessons. Seeds turn into flowers and dinner stops you being hungry, but sums never lead to anything. Then one afternoon, with his head inside his school desk, he finds the Arithmetic Fairy glow...

Everyone Else Seems Further Ahead — Calm for Doomscrolling, Comparison & Social Media Anxiety | Vagus Nerve Breathing

 

Your thumb knows the way, doesn't it — down and down and down again. Nothing has happened to you. Nobody has said an unkind word. And yet your chest is tight, your jaw is set, and there's a low hum that says you're behind. This 10 minute guided meditation is for comparison anxiety and doomscrolling — because you've been comparing your whole self, the mess and the doubt and the 3am worries, to someone else's edited highlights. That was never a fair fight. Hosted by clin...

The Twopenny Spell by E. Nesbit — A Calming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Drift off to sleep with this gentle bedtime story, a classic audiobook narrated aloud for insomnia relief and deep relaxation as part of Calming Anxiety's Books at Bedtime series. Tonight's sleep story is The Twopenny Spell by E. Nesbit, the much-loved author of The Railway Children. It's a funny, warm-hearted tale of a brother, a sister and one very poorly chosen magic spell. It was written in the early 1900s and is long in the public domain: Edith Nesbit (1858–1924) died more...

Anxious at Work and Telling Everyone You're Fine — Calm for Workplace Anxiety, Pressure & Deadlines | Physiological Sigh

 

Anxious at work and telling everyone you're fine? This 10 minute guided meditation is for workplace anxiety — the particular kind of tired that has nothing to do with sleep. The tired of holding yourself together from the moment you reach for your phone to the moment you close the laptop and realise your shoulders have been up around your ears for nine hours, and nobody at work saw a thing. Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett.

 
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The Magician's Heart by E. Nesbit — A Calming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Drift off to sleep with this gentle bedtime story, a classic audiobook narrated aloud for insomnia relief and deep relaxation as part of Calming Anxiety's Books at Bedtime series. Tonight's sleep story is The Magician's Heart by E. Nesbit, the much-loved author of The Railway Children. It's a witty, warm-hearted fairy tale of christening curses, a magic kiss saved for twenty years, and a wicked magician who was once the dearest little boy in a plaid frock. It's the final sto...

What If Thoughts Won't Stop — Calm for Waiting, Uncertainty & Anticipatory Anxiety | Humming Bee Breath

 

What if thoughts won't stop when you are waiting on news, waiting on a decision, waiting on a door you cannot see behind. This 10 minute guided meditation is for anticipatory anxiety — the exhausting habit of rehearsing a problem that has not happened yet. Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett.

 

Today's breathwork is the Humming Bee Breath, known in yoga as Bhramari. Humming does two things at once: it makes your out breath long and even withou...

Justnowland by E. Nesbit — A Calming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Drift off to sleep with this gentle bedtime story, a classic audiobook narrated aloud for insomnia relief and deep relaxation as part of Calming Anxiety's Books at Bedtime series. Tonight's sleep story is Justnowland by E. Nesbit, the much-loved author of The Railway Children. It's a tender fairy tale about a lonely little girl, an enchanted kingdom of crows, and a dragon who has never once been treated kindly. It was first published in her 1912 collection The Magic World and is long in...

Racing Thoughts at Night — How to Quiet an Overthinking Mind | Alternate Nostril Breathing

 

Racing thoughts at night are exhausting. There's a room in your mind and the light is still on — somebody in there is still talking, turning the same thought over and over, looking for a door in a wall that hasn't got one. Nobody chooses a racing mind. It isn't your fault. It's a nervous system asked to stay alert for too long that has forgotten how to stand down.

 

In this 10-minute guided meditation we don't argue with the though...

The Aunt and Amabel by E. Nesbit — A Calming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Drift off to sleep with this gentle bedtime story, a classic audiobook narrated aloud for insomnia relief and deep relaxation as part of Calming Anxiety's Books at Bedtime series. Tonight's sleep story is The Aunt and Amabel by E. Nesbit, the much-loved author of The Railway Children. It's a magical tale of a little girl, a wardrobe in the best bedroom, and a secret railway to a beautiful city, and it's often cited as one of the inspirations for C.S...

Tight Chest Anxiety — Why You Can't Take a Full Breath | Coherence Breathing for Anxiety Relief

 

Tight chest anxiety is one of the most frightening symptoms there is — that band across the ribs, the shallow breathing, the feeling that no matter how hard you try you can't quite get a full breath in. Today's guided meditation is here to loosen it, gently, without forcing anything.

 

Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett, this 10-minute session uses coherence breathing — also known as resonance breathing or HRV breathing — a slow five-in, five-out rhythm that lands...

The Related Muff by E. Nesbit — A Calming Christmas Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Drift off to sleep with this gentle bedtime story, a classic audiobook narrated aloud for insomnia relief and deep relaxation as part of Calming Anxiety's Books at Bedtime series. Tonight's sleep story is The Related Muff by E. Nesbit, the much-loved author of The Railway Children and The Story of the Treasure Seekers. It's a warm, funny Christmas tale about first impressions, quiet courage and a cousin nobody wanted. It was first published in her 1905 collection Oswald Bastable and Oth...

Why Do I Feel Anxious When It Gets Dark Early? — A 10-Minute Guided Meditation for Dark Evenings & Winter Anxiety | 4-2-6 Breathing

 

Why do I feel anxious when it gets dark so early? You come out of the door in the afternoon and the light is already going, and something in you drops. It's not dramatic, just a small, quiet sinking under the ribs. Nothing has happened. It's the same evening, the same jobs, the same house. And yet it feels like the day is over and you haven't done enough with it. As the clocks go...

The White Cat by E. Nesbit — A Calming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Drift off to sleep with this gentle bedtime story, a classic audiobook narrated aloud for insomnia relief and deep relaxation as part of Calming Anxiety's Books at Bedtime series. Tonight's sleep story is The White Cat by E. Nesbit, the much-loved author of The Railway Children and Five Children and It. It's a warm, magical fairy tale about a little boy, a chipped china cat and a family secret hidden for 150 years. It was first published in her 1912 collection The Mag...

Panic Attack Relief — Ride the Wave Until It Passes | Box Breathing Guided Meditation

 

If your heart is hammering, your hands are tingling and some frightened part of you is certain something terrible is about to happen — start here. This is Panic Attack Relief: a 10-minute guided meditation to help you float through a panic attack instead of fighting it. You are not dying, you are not going mad, you are not losing control. A panic attack is a wave — it rises, it peaks, and every single time, it falls.

 

Hosted by clinical hypnothe...

Silence — A Fable by Edgar Allan Poe — A Classic Gothic Bedtime Story, Narrated Audiobook | Books at Bedtime

 

A classic audiobook narrated aloud as part of Calming Anxiety's Books at Bedtime series. Tonight's bedtime story is Silence — A Fable by Edgar Allan Poe, a strange, dreamlike prose poem and one of his least known and most hypnotic works, perfect for the long October nights leading up to Halloween. It was first published in 1838 under the title "Siope — A Fable" and is long in the public domain: Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) died more than 175 years ago.

 

For mor...

I Can Change — New Month New Way of Thinking (Physiological Sigh)

 

A new month can feel like something between a fresh page and a quiet accusation. Part of you is already looking back — at what you meant to do, at what you promised yourself and didn't quite manage. This 10-minute guided meditation offers something kinder: a month is not a report card, and you don't need the first of September to begin again.

 

Martin guides you through setting down the heavy backpack of everything unfinished from last month...

The Oval Portrait by Edgar Allan Poe — A Classic Gothic Bedtime Story, Narrated Audiobook | Books at Bedtime

 

A classic audiobook narrated aloud as part of Calming Anxiety's Books at Bedtime series. Tonight's bedtime story is The Oval Portrait by Edgar Allan Poe, one of his shortest and most haunting tales, and a beautifully atmospheric read-aloud as the nights draw in towards Halloween. It was first published in 1842 under the title "Life in Death" and is long in the public domain: Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) died more than 175 years ago.

 

For more calming audiobooks and ge...

Anxiety Relief in 10 Minutes — Turn Your Anxiety Down, Not Off | Guided Meditation With 4-2-6 Breathing

 

Anxiety relief in ten minutes, with nothing to achieve. If you're listening right in the middle of anxiety, stay here. You don't have to switch anxiety off. You can simply learn to turn it down a little, one breath at a time. This gentle guided meditation for anxiety is for any moment you need to unclench your jaw, drop your shoulders and let your nervous system settle, whether you're heading back into your day or getting ready for sleep.

The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe — A Classic Gothic Bedtime Story, Narrated Audiobook | Books at Bedtime

 

A classic audiobook narrated aloud as part of Calming Anxiety's Books at Bedtime series. Tonight's bedtime story is The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, the most famous short story ever written by the master of gothic fiction, and a perfect read-aloud as the nights draw in towards Halloween. It was first published in 1843 and is long in the public domain: Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) died more than 175 years ago.

 

For more calming audiobooks and gentler sleep...

Why Do I Feel Anxious When Nothing Is Wrong? — A 10-Minute Guided Meditation for Anxiety for No Reason | Grounding & Letting Go

 

Why do I feel anxious when nothing is wrong? Everything is fine. Nobody has called with bad news, the house is quiet, and yet there it is: that little knot inside saying something isn't right. This guided meditation is for anxiety for no reason, the frustrating kind where there's nothing you can point to, so your mind goes searching for something to worry about and fills a perfectly ordinary quiet moment with it.

 

An Unfinished Story by O. Henry — A Calming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Drift off to sleep with this gentle bedtime story, a classic audiobook narrated aloud for insomnia relief and deep relaxation as part of Calming Anxiety's Books at Bedtime series. Tonight's sleep story is An Unfinished Story by O. Henry, one of his most loved and most quietly moving tales, about a young New York shopgirl living on six dollars a week. It was first published in his 1906 collection The Four Million and is long in the public domain: William Sydney Por...

Why Does My Voice Shake When I'm Anxious? — A 10-Minute Guided Meditation for a Shaky Voice & Anxiety Relief | 6-3-9 Breathing

 

Why does my voice shake when I'm anxious? If your voice trembles or wobbles when you talk, whether in a meeting, on the phone or just saying something that matters, this guided meditation is for that kind of anxiety other people can actually hear. Most of us assume the problem is the throat. But anxiety affects the whole system you speak with: your breathing, the muscle tension around your jaw and shoulders, and the way you...

Between Rounds by O. Henry — A Calming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Drift off to sleep with this gentle bedtime story, a classic audiobook narrated aloud for insomnia relief and deep relaxation as part of Calming Anxiety's Books at Bedtime series. Tonight's sleep story is Between Rounds by O. Henry, a warm, funny tale of one May evening at a New York boarding house. It was first published in his 1906 collection The Four Million and is long in the public domain: William Sydney Porter (1862–1910) died more than a century ago.

 

F...

Why Am I So Frightened of Needing People? — A 10-Minute Guided Meditation for Fear of Relying on Others & Anxiety Relief | 4-6 Breathing

 

Why am I so frightened of needing people? Someone did something kind for you recently, and for about half a second it was lovely. Then something underneath went cold: "What would I do if they weren't here?" Ever since, you've been quietly trying to need them a little less. This guided meditation is for that fear of relying on others, of being a burden and of losing the people who are still right here.

Springtime à la Carte by O. Henry — A Calming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Drift off to sleep with this gentle bedtime story, a classic audiobook narrated aloud for insomnia relief and deep relaxation as part of Calming Anxiety's Books at Bedtime series. Tonight's sleep story is Springtime à la Carte by O. Henry, a tender, witty tale of love, longing and one very important restaurant menu. It was first published in his 1906 collection The Four Million and is long in the public domain: William Sydney Porter (1862–1910) died more than a century ago.

 

Why Can't I Answer When Someone Asks How I Am? — A 10-Minute Meditation for When the Words Won't Come

 

Somebody asked you properly today. They stopped, looked at you, and said, "How are you doing?" — and then they actually waited. There was a half a second in there where you had the chance to tell them. But what came out was, "Yeah, good, you." And you've been carrying that little moment around ever since, because it felt like a lie. It wasn't. This is for anyone who freezes when someone asks how they're doing, who can't find...

Sisters of the Golden Circle by O. Henry — A Calming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Drift off with this gentle bedtime story for sleep and insomnia relief, read aloud as part of Calming Anxiety's Books at Bedtime strand. Tonight's tale is Sisters of the Golden Circle, O. Henry's warm, witty New York story about two newlywed brides who understand each other completely in a single glance. It was first published in his 1906 collection The Four Million and is long in the public domain: William Sydney Porter (1862–1910) died more than a century ago.

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Why Do I Feel Guilty After Cancelling Plans? — A 10-Minute Meditation for Relief, Guilt and Needing Rest

 

You sent the message — so sorry, won't be able to make it — and for about four seconds you felt wonderful. Genuine relief. Shoulders coming down, the whole evening handed back to you. And then it turned. Now you're here, phone face down on the cushion, feeling like a terrible friend. If cancelling plans leaves you with that exact one-two of relief and guilt, this guided meditation is for the ten minutes after you press send.

 

For a pl...

From the Cabby's Seat by O. Henry — A Calming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Drift off with this gentle bedtime story for sleep and insomnia relief, read aloud as part of Calming Anxiety's Books at Bedtime strand. Tonight's tale is From the Cabby's Seat, O. Henry's warm, funny New York story about a hansom-cab driver and one very unusual fare. It was first published in his 1906 collection The Four Million and is long in the public domain: William Sydney Porter (1862–1910) died more than a century ago.

 

For more calming audiob...

Am I Too Much? — A 10-Minute Meditation for Feeling Like a Burden and the Fear of Being Too Much

 

It arrives quietly, usually afterwards, usually once you've been talking for a while. They were kind. They were still listening. And somewhere underneath it, you'd already started apologising in your head for taking up the evening. If you've ever wondered am I too much, or felt afraid of being a burden to the people who love you, this guided meditation sits with exactly that feeling, and gently questions the running total anxiety keeps on your behalf.

An Adjustment of Nature by O. Henry — A Calming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Drift off with this gentle bedtime story for sleep and insomnia relief, read aloud as part of Calming Anxiety's Books at Bedtime strand. Tonight's tale is An Adjustment of Nature, O. Henry's affectionate story of three broke young artists, a cheap New York eatery, and the magnificent waitress they consider entirely too perfect to leave — first published in his 1906 collection The Four Million, long in the public domain, with Porter (1862–1910) having died more than a century ago.