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

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 everything the earnest man believed upside down.

 

This classic short story for adults is a gentle wind-down for a busy mind, with Dunsany's lyrical, dreamlike prose and Martin's calm, unhurried narration. Like all good fables, it carries a sting in its tail, so it's perfect for anyone who enjoys a little wit and wisdom before sleep.

 

If you enjoyed it, you'll also find Lord Dunsany's The Hen on Books at Bedtime, from the same collection, alongside Mary E. Wilkins Freeman's The Squirrel and L.M. Montgomery's Charlotte's Ladies.

 

A Moral Little Tale 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.

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: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 and Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored. And try Martin's new health app, Thole, free in beta on iPhone (iOS only): https://testflight.apple.com/join/aUKB8W7N

 

There's no breathing pattern and no counting today. We simply notice the out-breath, soften the shoulders, jaw and eyes, and gently name what the mind is doing: "I'm replaying a conversation." You'll learn why another person's silence can have many meanings, receive five kind affirmations for overthinking after conversations, and three daily caring tips.

 

⏱️ Time Chapters

* 00:00 – Replaying a conversation all day?

* 00:38 – Welcome: When Your Mind Won't Stop, Part 1

* 00:58 – Each session stands on its own

* 01:07 – Finding somewhere comfy

* 01:20 – No breathing pattern, just the out-breath

* 02:14 – If watching the breath feels uncomfortable

* 02:30 – Naming it: "I'm replaying a conversation"

* 03:06 – Why we replay conversations

* 03:24 – Letting the gap remain a gap

* 03:55 – This is where you are now

* 04:37 – Five affirmations for overthinking after conversations

* 06:07 – Letting go of the words of others

* 06:44 – Affirmations, once more

* 07:51 – Drifting with self-worth and courage

* 08:23 – Your 3 daily caring tips

* 09:20 – Gently returning to the room

* 09:45 – Tomorrow, Part 2: overthinking the future

* 10:10 – Anchored, Instant Calm and Premium

* 10:46 – Until tomorrow, be kind

 

🌿 Today's Gentle Affirmations

Repeat each one quietly or simply listen. You don't have to force yourself to believe anything:

* I can let a conversation end without knowing exactly what everyone thought.

* I am allowed to be human and imperfect when I speak.

* I can learn from a moment and still treat myself with kindness.

* I can take a useful step when needed and leave the replay behind for now.

* I am bringing my attention back to the life in front of me.

 

💡 3 Daily Caring Tips

1. Separate what happened from what you are imagining: You might know someone gave a short answer, but you may be guessing that they were annoyed with you. Try asking, "What did I actually observe?"

2. Ask whether there is one useful action to take: Perhaps a brief clarification would help. Perhaps there is a lesson you need to remember.

3. Turn to something concrete and ordinary: Feel your feet as you walk. Notice the warmth of a mug. Listen carefully to the person who is with you now.

 

📱 Take Calming Anxiety With You Anywhere

You don't need a final verdict on that conversation to continue your day. Tomorrow, in Part 2 of When Your Mind Won't Stop, we'll explore how to stop overthinking the future and give those "what if" thoughts a little less of our attention. Until then, keep Anchored close:

iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored

 

Anchored Premium turns off the adverts and supports all Martin does, for just 5.99 a month or 49.99 for the year. Thank you. For Martin's calming tips, visit https://calminganxiety.org/calm

 

🌱 Try Thole, Martin's new health and wellness app, free in beta for iPhone only: https://testflight.apple.com/join/aUKB8W7N

 

If you know someone who replays every conversation, please share this episode with them, and leave a 30-second review on Apple Podcasts.

 

Take good care of yourself, my friend, and speak to yourself with a little more care and understanding. I'll speak to you tomorrow. 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.

The Hen by Lord Dunsany — A Short, Gentle Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Drift off to sleep with The Hen by Lord Dunsany, a tiny, wise and gently funny fable about the swallows, the south and a hen with big ideas, read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety.

 

All along the farmyard gables the swallows sit in a row, twittering uneasily, thinking only of summer and the south, for autumn is afoot and the north wind waiting. One day they are suddenly gone, and the whole poultry yard talks of nothing but the swallows and the south. "I think I shall go south myself next year," says the hen.

 

A year later the swallows rise on the north wind with a strange old knowledge in their wings, flying high over the huge and homeless sea, past glittering fog banks, wandering ships and pearl divers, to the summer valleys they know. And the hen? She spreads her wings, runs out of the poultry yard and flutters off down the road on a great adventure of her own, all the way to a garden full of roses.

 

This classic bedtime story for adults is perfect for winding down, easing insomnia and letting a busy mind settle into deep, restful sleep. Dunsany's dreamlike, poetic prose, a quietly funny ending and Martin's calm, unhurried narration make it an ideal short sleep audiobook for anyone who finds it hard to switch off at night.

 

Lord Dunsany, the Irish fantasy writer best known for The King of Elfland's Daughter, is new to Books at Bedtime. If you enjoy classic short stories, you'll also find Mary E. Wilkins Freeman's The Squirrel and The Lost Dog, and L.M. Montgomery's Charlotte's Ladies.

 

The Hen was first published in Fifty-One Tales (London: Elkin Mathews; New York: Mitchell Kennerley, 1915). Lord Dunsany (1878–1957).

 

Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett.

 

📱 Listen to Books at Bedtime in the Anchored app, offline and with the screen off, so you can fall asleep without a bright phone in your hand:

 

iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669

 

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored

 

🧡 For Martin's calming tips, visit: https://calminganxiety.org/calm

 

🌱 Try Thole, Martin's new health and wellness app, in beta on iPhone: https://testflight.apple.com/join/aUKB8W7N

 

Sleep well, my friend. And in everything, be kind.

 

 

Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to help us reach more listeners!

 

YouTube: Watch all episodes at https://www.youtube.com/c/calminganxiety?sub_confirmation=1

 

Social Media Support: For younger listeners struggling with social media stress, visit https://www.icanhelp.net/

 

Music: All music by Chris Collins at Indie Music 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.

Can't Stop Thinking? — A 10-Minute Guided Meditation for a Busy Mind | Affirmations & Gentle Out-Breath Relaxation (No Counting)

 

Can't stop thinking? Sometimes the most exhausting part of your day is everything happening inside your own mind: replaying a conversation, wondering whether you've forgotten something, thinking about tomorrow while still trying to make sense of yesterday. And when you finally have a quiet moment, your thoughts seem to get louder. This 10-minute guided meditation for a busy mind reminds you that you can have unfinished thoughts and still allow yourself to rest.

 

Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett. For more calm moments like this, find Martin's Anchored app on iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 and Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored. And Martin's new app to help get your body fit and healthy, Thole, is in free beta on iPhone (iOS only): https://testflight.apple.com/join/aUKB8W7N

 

There's no counting today and no breath to get right. We simply notice the natural out-breath, the small settling through the chest, the softening of the shoulders, and let the jaw, tongue and eyes ease. You'll learn to notice a thought without it becoming your next task, receive five gentle affirmations for a busy mind, and three daily caring tips.

 

⏱️ Time Chapters

* 00:00 – Welcome from Martin

* 00:10 – When your thoughts get louder

* 00:43 – Nothing you need to work out

* 00:49 – Finding your quiet, comfy place

* 01:11 – No counting: just the natural out-breath

* 02:02 – Softening the jaw, tongue and eyes

* 02:30 – When the mind wanders

* 02:57 – A thought doesn't have to be your next task

* 03:35 – Allowed to rest before everything is resolved

* 04:03 – A quiet word on the out-breath

* 04:40 – Five gentle affirmations

* 06:00 – Drifting deeper with self-compassion

* 06:41 – Affirmations, once more

* 07:47 – Letting the words settle

* 08:49 – Your 3 daily caring tips

* 09:53 – Gently returning to the room

* 10:29 – Anchored and calminganxiety.org

* 10:54 – Try Thole on iPhone

* 11:22 – Thank you, and be kind

 

🌿 Today's Gentle Affirmations

Repeat them silently or simply listen, and visualise the colour and shape of each word:

* I give myself permission to leave some questions unanswered today.

* I can bring my attention back to what is here, one gentle moment at a time.

* I deserve kindness when my mind feels busy.

* I can take one useful step and then allow myself to rest.

* I can notice a thought without following it through.

 

💡 3 Daily Caring Tips

1. Give the thoughts somewhere to go: When the same worry keeps circling, write it down in a sentence, then ask yourself, "Is there one useful action I can take?" If there is, choose it. If there isn't, you can leave the thought on the page.

2. Gently reconnect with your surroundings: Feel your feet against the floor. Notice the warmth of a mug in your hands, the colour of something nearby, or the sounds outside the window.

3. Make room for a little less input: Choose a short part of your day to put your phone aside and do one thing at a time. Eat something slowly, walk for a few minutes, or sit somewhere comfy.

 

📱 Take Calming Anxiety With You Anywhere

You are here, and for this moment, you can allow that to be enough. One thing at a time. To make more moments like this part of your day, explore Anchored, Martin's app from Calming Anxiety. "It worked for me, and that's why I built it."

iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored

 

Visit https://calminganxiety.org for everything to help you overcome anxiety and stress, and https://calminganxiety.org/calm for Martin's calming tips.

 

🌱 Try Thole, Martin's new app to get your body fit and healthy. Free in beta for iPhone only, no catch. Install it and let him know what you think: https://testflight.apple.com/join/aUKB8W7N

 

If this helped, please share it with someone whose mind won't switch off, and leave a 30-second review on Apple Podcasts.

 

Thank you for your time, my friend, and for putting your faith and trust in all Martin does. Have a lovely day. And as always, be kind.

 

 

Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to help us reach more listeners!

 

YouTube: Watch all episodes at https://www.youtube.com/c/calminganxiety?sub_confirmation=1

 

Social Media Support: For younger listeners struggling with social media stress, visit https://www.icanhelp.net/

 

Music: All music by Chris Collins at Indie Music Box

 

Ready for More Calm?Thank you for listening to the Calming Anxiety Podcast, featuring guided meditation, mindfulness, and sleep hypnosis sessions with Martin Hewlett. Our mission is to provide you with proven tools for anxiety relief, stress reduction, and a path toward deep relaxation. Use this episode anytime you need to calm your mind and feel more at ease.

The Squirrel by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman — A Cosy Autumn Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Drift off to sleep with The Squirrel by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, a gentle, gently funny autumn tale of two devoted old couples, one human and one furry, and a tree full of English walnuts, read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety.

 

Near an old New England farmhouse there grows a beautiful English walnut tree, and every summer the kindly old farmer and his wife look up at its laden branches and say, "This year we shall have nuts." But they never do. The mystery is simple enough: a squirrel and his lifelong mate consider every nut on that tree their own, and all through the crisp, golden mornings of a long, late autumn they race back and forth, cheeks full, to their secret storehouse under the woodpile.

 

By the end of October, the squirrels are the richest pair in the woods, ready for a winter of plenty and love, just as the thrifty old couple are comfortably settled for theirs. Then the farmer's wife decides the woodpile ought to be split and stored before winter sets in. As the old man chops patiently away, day after day, the squirrels begin to grow anxious, and the question of whose nuts they really are is about to be put to the test.

 

This classic bedtime story for adults is perfect for winding down, easing insomnia and letting a busy mind settle into deep, restful sleep. Freeman's frosty autumn mornings, quiet farmhouse humour, a tender-hearted ending and Martin's calm, unhurried narration make it an ideal sleep audiobook for anyone who finds it hard to switch off at night.

 

If you enjoy Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, you'll find more of her stories on Books at Bedtime, including The Lost Dog, Seventoes' Ghost and The Three Old Sisters and the Old Beau.

 

The Squirrel was first published in 1900. Mary E. Wilkins Freeman (1852–1930) and this story are in the public domain.

 

Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett.

 

📱 Listen to Books at Bedtime in the Anchored app, offline and with the screen off, so you can fall asleep without a bright phone in your hand:

 

iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669

 

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored

 

🧡 For Martin's calming tips, visit: https://calminganxiety.org/calm

 

🌱 Try Thole, Martin's new health and wellness app, in beta on iPhone: https://testflight.apple.com/join/aUKB8W7N

 

Sleep well, my friend. And in everything, be kind.

 

 

Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to help us reach more listeners!

 

YouTube: Watch all episodes at https://www.youtube.com/c/calminganxiety?sub_confirmation=1

 

Social Media Support: For younger listeners struggling with social media stress, visit https://www.icanhelp.net/

 

Music: All music by Chris Collins at Indie Music 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.