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

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 Porter (1862–1910) died more than a century ago.

 

For more calming audiobooks and sleep stories whenever you need them, download Anchored, the free companion app to Calming Anxiety, with offline-ready relaxation and Books at Bedtime sessions for any hour of the night.

Get it on the App Store at https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 or on Google Play at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored.

 

In this soothing narrated short story, Dulcie works in a department store and counts every cent: ten for breakfast, a dime saved, five squandered on liquorice drops. So when the notorious "Piggy" invites her to a grand dinner uptown, she spends her last fifty cents on a lace collar and gets ready for her first evening out. But on her dresser, in a gilt frame, stands the one friend whose stern, sorrowful eyes are always watching.

 

Framed by O. Henry's playful dream of angels, judgement and a very particular crowd of prosperous spirits, this is a tender, wry and beautifully observed story about small pleasures, quiet dignity and doing the right thing when nobody else is looking.

 

If you can't sleep, lie awake at night with a racing mind, or simply love classic literature read aloud, let this calm, unhurried bedtime reading ease anxiety and carry you softly towards rest.

 

Hosted and narrated by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett, as part of Calming Anxiety's Coffee Break for the Soul and Books at Bedtime story readings.

 

And in everything, my friend, be kind.

 

 

Support the Show:

 

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

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/calming-anxiety-guided-meditation-sleep-hypnosis-panic-attack-relief--4110266/support.

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.

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 control your voice.

 

For a quiet place to return to whenever this feeling catches you out, download Anchored, Calming Anxiety's free companion app.

Get it on the App Store at https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 or on Google Play at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored.

 

Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett, this episode explains why anxious breathing turns short and high in the chest. You try to stand an eleven-word sentence on a breath built for four, and somewhere around word seven the floor runs out. Rather than practising speaking, you'll practise the floor underneath it with 6-3-9 descending breathing: six in, rest for three, and nine slowly out. It's a long, unhurried out-breath your voice can rest on. Then come affirmations for a shaky voice, a calming aura of confidence for the throat and chest, and three caring tips for speaking anxiety.

 

Want more support? Download Martin's free Five Things to Try When Anxiety Hits at https://calminganxiety.org/calm. It's five simple things, so you know what to reach for.

 

⏱️ Time Chapters

* 00:00 – Welcome & Martin's Free Five Tips

* 00:44 – Finding Your Quiet Place

* 01:00 – Why Your Voice Shakes When You're Anxious

* 02:12 – The Grip That Makes It Worse

* 02:37 – 6-3-9 Descending Breathing

* 04:35 – Letting the Out-Breath Carry a Soft Sigh

* 05:28 – The Breath Your Voice Can Rest On

* 06:07 – Affirmations for a Shaky Voice

* 07:38 – An Aura of Calm Confidence

* 08:44 – Three Daily Caring Tips

* 09:49 – Coming Back Gently

* 10:26 – A Note From Martin: Five Things to Try

 

🌿 Today's Gentle Affirmations

Settle in and repeat these gently to yourself:

* When my voice shakes, it does not define me.

* It may simply be my body responding to anxiety.

* I do not have to hold my voice still.

* My shaky voice is not a character flaw.

* It is my body responding to a moment.

* I am allowed to finish my sentence early.

* I am allowed to say these things slowly.

 

💡 3 Daily Caring Tips

1. Notice the throat clear: Just notice it, the little cough before and the little cough after. You do not have to stop it. It has just been invisible for a long time, and today it is not.

2. One breath out, then speak: Before you say something today, let out one comfortable breath. Not a huge breath in, just one breath out, and then speak.

3. Let the sentence be short: If your voice goes today, let the sentence be short and let that be completely fine. You are allowed to finish early. Nobody is marking it.

 

📱 Take Calming Anxiety With You Anywhere

Download Anchored on iOS at https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 or on Google Play at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored. Access over 2,500 searchable, offline-ready audio sessions, sleep stories with Books at Bedtime, and built-in nightlight features for the small hours. And grab Martin's free Five Things to Try When Anxiety Hits at https://calminganxiety.org/calm. If this episode helped, please share it and leave a quick rating or review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It genuinely helps more people find their way here.

 

And in everything, my friend, be kind.

 

 

Support the Show:

 

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

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/calming-anxiety-guided-meditation-sleep-hypnosis-panic-attack-relief--4110266/support.

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.

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.

 

For more calming audiobooks and sleep stories whenever you need them, download Anchored, the free companion app to Calming Anxiety, with offline-ready relaxation and Books at Bedtime sessions for any hour of the night.

Get it on the App Store at https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 or on Google Play at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored.

 

In this soothing narrated short story, the May moon shines on Mrs. Murphy's boarding house. Upstairs, Mr. and Mrs. McCaskey are having one of their famously noisy disagreements over supper, and the kitchenware is flying. Then a cry goes up from below: Mrs. Murphy's little boy, Mike, is lost.

 

As the boarders rally in their own comic ways, the McCaskeys pause at the window, and in that quiet moment between rounds they find an unexpected tenderness for each other. What happens next is pure O. Henry: wry, affectionate and with a knowing twist at the end.

 

If you can't sleep, lie awake at night with a racing mind, or simply love classic literature read aloud, let this calm, unhurried bedtime reading ease anxiety and carry you softly towards rest.

 

Hosted and narrated by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett, as part of Calming Anxiety's Coffee Break for the Soul and Books at Bedtime story readings.

 

And in everything, my friend, be kind.

 

 

Support the Show:

 

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

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/calming-anxiety-guided-meditation-sleep-hypnosis-panic-attack-relief--4110266/support.

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.

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.

 

For a quiet place to return to whenever this feeling catches you out, download Anchored, Calming Anxiety's free companion app.

Get it on the App Store at https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 or on Google Play at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored.

 

Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett, this episode uses gentle 4-6 breathing with a small, soft pause after the out-breath, a chance to notice that the next breath arrives without you having to go and get it. Then comes the image of a warm amber lamp left on in a hallway, which is never diminished by being used, along with affirmations for self-worth, and three caring tips for when asking for help feels like running up a debt.

 

Want more support? Download Martin's free Five Things to Try When Anxiety Hits at https://calminganxiety.org/calm. It's a small toolbox for evenings like this, with nothing to sign up to.

 

⏱️ Time Chapters

* 00:00 – Why Am I So Frightened of Needing People?

* 00:50 – Welcome & Martin's Free Five Tips

* 01:31 – Finding Your Quiet Place

* 02:04 – 4-6 Breathing With a Soft Pause

* 04:16 – Letting the Breath Arrive

* 04:24 – The Amber Lamp: Needing Someone Isn't a Debt

* 05:42 – Affirmations for Needing People

* 08:26 – Three Daily Caring Tips

* 09:22 – Coming Back Gently

* 09:57 – A Note From Martin: Five Things to Try

 

🌿 Today's Gentle Affirmations

Settle in and repeat these gently to yourself:

* I am frightened of how much I need people and needing them is not a fault.

* I can let someone help me without owing them anything.

* I do not have to take it back the moment I've asked.

* I am allowed to matter to the people I love.

* And they are allowed to matter to me.

* I am not the fear of losing them. I am the one who loves them.

 

💡 3 Daily Caring Tips

1. Notice the add-ons: Notice the little sentence you add on the end when you ask someone for something. The "only if you're not busy." The "honestly, it's fine." Just notice it. You don't have to stop doing it yet.

2. [TIP 2 — NOT CAPTURED IN THE TRANSCRIPT. PASTE MARTIN'S SPOKEN TIP HERE BEFORE PUBLISHING]

3. Let it be a question: If the frightened thought comes ("What would I do without them?"), let it be a question. You simply don't answer it today.

 

📱 Take Calming Anxiety With You Anywhere

Download Anchored on iOS at https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 or on Google Play at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored. Access over 3,000 searchable, offline-ready audio sessions, sleep stories with Books at Bedtime, and built-in nightlight features for the small hours. And grab Martin's free Five Things to Try When Anxiety Hits at https://calminganxiety.org/calm. If this episode helped, please share it and leave a quick rating or review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It genuinely helps more people find their way here.

 

And in everything, my friend, be kind.

 

 

Support the Show:

 

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

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/calming-anxiety-guided-meditation-sleep-hypnosis-panic-attack-relief--4110266/support.

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.

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.

 

For more calming audiobooks and sleep stories whenever you need them, download Anchored, the free companion app to Calming Anxiety, with offline-ready relaxation and Books at Bedtime sessions for any hour of the night.

Get it on the App Store at https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 or on Google Play at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored.

 

In this soothing narrated short story, Sarah is a freelance typist getting through a long, cold New York winter by typing the daily bills of fare for Schulenberg's home restaurant in exchange for her meals. Her heart is still in a country lane at Sunnybrook Farm, where young farmer Walter Franklin crowned her with dandelions and promised to marry her at the very first sign of spring.

 

Then, with no letter from Walter in two weeks, dandelions appear on tomorrow's menu. What happens next is pure O. Henry: gentle, funny and quietly romantic, with one of his warmest endings.

 

If you can't sleep, lie awake at night with a racing mind, or simply love classic literature read aloud, let this calm, unhurried bedtime reading ease anxiety and carry you softly towards rest.

 

Hosted and narrated by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett, as part of Calming Anxiety's Coffee Break for the Soul and Books at Bedtime story readings.

 

And in everything, my friend, be kind.

 

 

Support the Show:

 

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

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/calming-anxiety-guided-meditation-sleep-hypnosis-panic-attack-relief--4110266/support.

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.