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

On the Dry Land by Lord Dunsany — A Gentle Short Fable of Love & Old Age for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Drift off with On the Dry Land by Lord Dunsany, a short, tender and beautifully written fable about love and a long life, read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety.

 

The gorgeous night hangs over the marshes, with all its wandering bands of nomad stars, and the first pale light of dawn is rising in the east. For many years, Love has led a man up and down through those perilous marshes. Now, as they reach the safety of dry land at last, Love looks at his companion and sees in the dawn light that his hair has turned white.

 

The old man sits down wearily on the grass, and Love tells him, "I will leave you now." The old man makes no answer, and only weeps softly. So Love, grieved in his careless little heart, tries to comfort him the only way he knows, by telling him that he was never worth missing at all. He is foolish, he says, and cruel, and the old man will be far better off without him. And still the old man weeps. What Love says next, and who comes up out of the marshes as the morning grows, Dunsany saves for the closing lines.

 

This classic short story for adults is a soft, reflective wind-down for a busy mind, with Dunsany's rich, musical prose, its quiet images of night and dawn and Martin's calm, unhurried narration. It's a lovely, peaceful sleep audiobook for anyone who finds themselves looking back on the years as they lie awake, or who finds it hard to switch off at night.

 

If you enjoyed it, you'll find more Lord Dunsany on Books at Bedtime, including Alone the Immortals, The Hen and How the Enemy Came to Thlunrana.

 

On the Dry Land was first published in The Sword of Welleran and Other Stories (London: George Allen & Sons, 1908). 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 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.

Intro: Can't Fall Asleep Tonight? Let’s Ease Your Racing MindIf you are struggling with insomnia, lying awake exhausted, or finding that your mind simply won’t stop turning over the day's events, you are in exactly the right place. There is nothing left to fix, nowhere else you need to be, and no pressure to force yourself to fall asleep fast tonight.Welcome, I’m Martin. Drawing from my 20+ years of experience as an emergency services paramedic combined with clinical hypnotherapy techniques, I have crafted this deep sleep companion to work directly with your nervous system, rather than fighting against it. Switch off the lights, make yourself heavy and comfortable in bed, and allow my voice to guide your body down into deep, natural sleep.Time Chapters: Navigating Your Path to Rest
00:00 – How to Quiet a Racing Mind for Sleep: Directing focus away from nighttime anxiety.
01:21 – Deep Breathing Exercises for Insomnia: Activating the vagus nerve with extended exhalations.
02:03 – Full Body Progressive Relaxation: Releasing physical tension from the jaw, shoulders, and legs.
05:05 – Sleep Hypnosis Affirmations: Subconscious reprogramming for a peaceful mind.
08:05 – 3 Daily Caring Tips for Better Sleep: Practical sleep hygiene habits for tomorrow night.
10:00 – Hypnotic Sleep Countdown and Drift Fade: Transitioning completely into deep sleep.
Sleep Affirmations for Anxiety: Words to Drift ByThere is no need to repeat these sleep affirmations out loud or try to memorize them. Simply let these soothing words settle deep within your subconscious mind as your body rests:
"My body inherently knows how to sleep; it has done this every night of my life, and it will carry me there safely again tonight."
"I have done enough today, and I am fully allowed to stop."
"I am safe, I am warm, and I am exactly where I need to be."
"What is done is done, and whatever waits can easily wait until the morning."
3 Daily Caring Tips: Small Habits for Natural Insomnia ReliefIf you are still softly awake, carry these three small evening kindnesses into tomorrow to naturally signal your brain it is time for rest:
Close the Kitchen Early: Finish eating roughly three hours before your head hits the pillow. A body busy digesting remains too alert for deep, restorative sleep.
Cool Feet, Warm Core: If you feel too hot to settle, slip one foot out from under the duvet. This minor temperature drop acts as a biological trigger telling your brain it's time to sleep.
Move Thoughts from Mind to Paper: Keep a notepad right by your bedside table. If tomorrow's worries start circling, write them down to allow your mind permission to stop holding onto them for the night.
CTA: Deepen Your Sleep Journey with AnchoredIf tonight’s guided session helped soothe your mind and body, you can unlock a full library of ad-free sleep hypnotherapy tracks, panic relief tools, and advanced breathing techniques.
Download the App: Find permanent sanctuary and custom-tailored sessions inside Anchored whenever you need them most.
Explore More Content: Visit calminganxiety.fm to learn more about our online courses, techniques, and resources.
Focus on the rhythmic rise and fall of your breath, imagine drifting even deeper, relax, sleep deeply, and in your dreams... be kind.

👉 Click to subscribe and unlock ad-free episodes now!

Support the Show:Ad-Free Listening: Enjoy Calming Anxiety without ads at https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/calming-anxiety--4110266/support

Buy Me a Coffee: Support hosting costs at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/calminganxiety

https://calminganxietypodcast.substack.com/?r=6zm0sc&utm_campaign=pub-share-checklist

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/

Backing Music: Chris Collins

===================

Affiliate links to the gear I use the items that give me a more tranquil life.

=============================
Items I use for a more relaxed way of life :)
Organic Pure Hemp CBD Capsules - https://amzn.to/3

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.

Lobster Salad by Lord Dunsany — A Funny Short Fantasy Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Drift off with Lobster Salad by Lord Dunsany, a wry and thrilling little fantasy about a very bad dream, read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety.

 

Our narrator is climbing the perilous outside of a vast white palace, high above the craggy tops of the mountains. There are no battlements or terraces to rest on, only the sheer face of the wall, and he is dressed in a night-shirt and stout leather boots. His fingers and wrists are aching, and he dares not look down.

 

That the whole thing is a dream, he admits, is beside the point. We have all fallen in dreams before, and it is well known that if you ever hit the ground, you die. Every boulder on the wall has its own different terror, and something is following close behind him. Then he comes to a great gap in the wall that he cannot cross, and he has one last, desperate idea. As for that curious title, Dunsany lets you work it out for yourself.

 

This classic short story for adults is a playful wind-down for a busy mind, with Dunsany's dreamlike prose, his dry humour and Martin's calm, unhurried narration. If you've ever woken from a nightmare with your heart racing, you'll smile at this one. It's an ideal short sleep audiobook for fantasy lovers and for anyone with insomnia who finds it hard to switch off at night.

 

If you enjoyed it, you'll find more Lord Dunsany on Books at Bedtime, including How the Enemy Came to Thlunrana, The Hen and The True History of the Hare and the Tortoise, all from the same collection.

 

Lobster Salad 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 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.

If you have woken up carrying the weight of yesterday, if some quiet part of you is ready to let go of the past and simply begin again, then take a slow breath. This is exactly where you are meant to be.

Welcome to Calming Anxiety with Martin Hewlett.Each day is a new beginning, a fresh start, a clean slate, and a blank page that is yours to write. This 10-minute session is your guided meditation for a positive life, designed to help you gently set a positive tone for the day ahead, clear away morning anxiety, and find deep relaxation.

Time Chapters
Intro: Finding your quiet place, breathing awareness, and letting go of the past.

Affirmations: Powerful morning affirmations for a positive mind and a clean slate.

3 Daily Caring Tips: Practical steps to carry this new beginning into your day. Outro: Coming back to the room, call to action, and final blessings.Morning Affirmations For A Positive Mind Let these words settle into you. Visualize them, feel them to be true, and let them transform your day: Each day is a new beginning and today I choose a positive life. I let the past stay in the past, this moment is my fresh start. My heart is open, my mind is clear and I welcome this new day with a positive mind. I am enough exactly as I am and I have all I need to begin again. Today is a clean slate and I set a gentle positive tone for all that lies ahead.3 Daily Caring Tips For A Happier Life
Set One Positive Intention: Before reaching for your phone, choose a single anchor word (like calm, kind, open, or brave) to act as your quiet compass for the hours ahead.
Catch One Small Beauty: Notice a tiny moment of beauty—steam rising from a cup or light through a window—and practice gratitude. Gratitude is how a new day becomes a good day.
You Can Always Begin Again: If the day slips and the calm fades, remember that a fresh start isn’t just for the morning. A new beginning is always just one breath away.
Take the Calm With You Everywhere If today felt like the fresh start you needed, you can keep this peace with you every single day. Download my app, Anchored, to keep your daily calm right in your pocket. Access nearly seven years of work and over 3,000 sessions! Download: Search "Anchored" on the App Store or Google Play. Web: Head over to calminganxiety.fm/anchored.Sending you a hug and a smile today. And as always, in everything you do, be kind.

👉 Click to subscribe and unlock ad-free episodes now!

Support the Show:Ad-Free Listening: Enjoy Calming Anxiety without ads at https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/calming-anxiety--4110266/support

Buy Me a Coffee: Support hosting costs at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/calminganxiety

https://calminganxietypodcast.substack.com/?r=6zm0sc&utm_campaign=pub-share-checklist

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/

Backing Music: Chris Collins

===================

Affiliate links to the gear I use the items that give me a more tranquil life.

=============================
Items I use for a more relaxed way of life :)
Organic Pure Hemp CBD Capsules - https://amzn.to/3

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.

How the Enemy Came to Thlunrana by Lord Dunsany — A Dark Fantasy Fable for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Drift off with How the Enemy Came to Thlunrana by Lord Dunsany, a short, spellbinding fantasy fable of prophecy, magicians and a dreaded secret, read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety.

 

It was foretold in ancient days that an enemy would come upon Thlunrana. The date of its doom was known, and so was the gate by which the enemy would enter. Yet no prophecy said who the enemy was, only that he was of the gods, though he dwelt with men. Meanwhile Thlunrana, the great secret cathedral of wizardry, remained the terror of the valley, its narrow windows glowing strangely in the night, and its magicians veiled, hooded and cloaked in black.

 

On the last night of all, a man from a black thatched cottage by the five pine trees climbs the dark valley for one final look at the place. Afraid but determined, he walks in through the southward door named the Gate of Doom. He passes the whispering magicians and their lighted tapers, and comes at last to a silk pavilion in a chamber of black marble, the holy of holies, where the deepest mystery of Thlunrana lies behind drawn curtains. What he finds there, and who the enemy really is, Dunsany saves for the final lines.

 

This classic short story for adults is a rich, atmospheric wind-down for a busy mind, with Dunsany's dreamlike, mythic prose, a surprisingly satisfying ending and Martin's calm, unhurried narration. It's an ideal short sleep audiobook for fantasy lovers and for anyone with insomnia who finds it hard to switch off at night.

 

If you enjoyed it, you'll find more Lord Dunsany on Books at Bedtime, including The Hen, The Return of the Exiles and The True History of the Hare and the Tortoise, all from the same collection.

 

How the Enemy Came to Thlunrana 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 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.