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

The Watch-Tower by Lord Dunsany — A Gentle Ghost Story of Provence for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Drift off with The Watch-Tower by Lord Dunsany, a short, wistful and beautifully atmospheric ghost story set in the twilight hills of Provence, read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety.

 

One April evening, our storyteller sits on a small hill above an ancient town in the south of France, beside an old worn castle with a watch-tower and a well that still holds water. The tower stares south over a broad valley full of pleasant twilight and the hum of evening things. The fires of wanderers blink from the hills, the long pine forest turns black, one star appears, and the green frogs croak as the windows of the little town glimmer one by one.

 

It's the kind of evening when the worries of the day simply fall from your mind. Then, just as it grows cold, a voice behind him says, "Beware, beware." He turns to find an old man with a horn and a marvellously long white beard, who has made no footfall at all. He is the spirit of the tower, made from the lives of all the watchers who ever held the horn there, and he is still keeping watch. Beware of what? And can our storyteller persuade the old spirit that he may finally rest? Dunsany leaves the answer gently in the closing lines.

 

This classic short story for adults is a soft, reflective wind-down for a busy mind, with Dunsany's lyrical descriptions of dusk, a touch of quiet humour and Martin's calm, unhurried narration. It's a lovely, peaceful sleep audiobook for anyone with insomnia who finds it hard to switch off at night, and for anyone who knows what it is to keep watch for a worry that never comes.

 

If you enjoyed it, you'll find more Lord Dunsany on Books at Bedtime, including A Narrow Escape and How Plash-Goo Came to the Land of None's Desire, both from the same collection, along with On the Dry Land.

 

The Watch-Tower was first published in Tales of Wonder (London: Elkin Mathews, 1916), known in the US as The Last Book of Wonder (Boston: John W. Luce, 1916). 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.

Too Much on Your Mind? You Don't Need to See the Whole Way Forward — Guided Meditation for Overwhelm, One Step at a Time | Equal Breathing

 

You do not need to see the whole way forward to take your next step. If there's a lot on your mind today, things to organise, decisions to make, people to think about, this 10-minute guided meditation for overwhelm is a reminder that you're allowed to move at your own pace. Here is somewhere quiet, a comfortable breath and one moment of kindness towards yourself.

 

Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett. For more guided meditations and support for panic and anxiety, download 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 try Thole, Martin's new whole body and mind app, at https://thole.app

 

Today we use a gentle equal count breath, in for three and out for three, with no breath to hold and no need for a big, deep breath. Then we let the counting fall away, notice the hypnotic rise and fall of the breath and ask what belongs to this moment. There may still be several things ahead of you, but this is something you can do one moment at a time. You'll receive five affirmations for taking things one step at a time and three daily caring tips.

 

⏱️ Time Chapters

* 00:00 – You don't need to see the whole way forward

* 00:34 – Welcome from Martin

* 00:49 – Finding your comfy place

* 01:27 – The equal count breath, in for three, out for three

* 01:51 – Breathing together

* 02:16 – In through the nose, out through the mouth

* 02:56 – Nothing to rush, nothing to catch up with

* 03:07 – The hypnotic rhythm of every breath

* 03:58 – One moment at a time

* 04:21 – Letting the counting fall away

* 04:40 – What belongs to this moment?

* 04:59 – Five affirmations for one step at a time

* 06:07 – Letting the words settle

* 06:26 – Affirmations, once more

* 07:18 – You are worthy

* 07:43 – Your 3 daily caring tips

* 08:36 – Gently returning to the room

* 09:10 – One simple thought to carry with you

* 09:21 – Anchored, and in everything be kind

 

🌿 Today's Gentle Affirmations

See the words in your mind's eye, then repeat them silently:

* I can take things one step at a time.

* My pace can reflect what I need today.

* A small beginning is still a beginning.

* I can ask for support as I move forward.

* I can meet this moment with patience and kindness.

 

💡 3 Daily Caring Tips

1. Make your next step specific and manageable: Instead of asking yourself to sort everything out, choose one action that you can clearly recognise.

2. Leave a little room between activities: Before you move from one task to another, feel your feet on the floor, soften your shoulders and take a comfortable breath.

3. Acknowledge something you've already done: It may be getting out of bed, reaching out to someone or taking these minutes for yourself.

 

📱 Take Calming Anxiety With You Anywhere

As you return to your day, you can carry one simple thought with you: I can take things one step at a time. For more guided meditations and support for panic and anxiety, download Anchored:

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

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

Or visit https://calminganxiety.org/anchored

 

🌱 Coming in December: Thole, Martin's whole body and mind app. Try it free now at https://thole.app

 

If this helped, please share it with someone who has a lot on their plate, and leave a 30-second review on Apple Podcasts.

 

Thank you for spending these minutes with me, my friend. Be caring to who you are, and above all, in everything, just 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.

A Narrow Escape by Lord Dunsany — A Funny Short Magician Story of Old London for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Drift off with A Narrow Escape by Lord Dunsany, a short, dry and very funny tale of a grumpy old magician who decides London has had its day, read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety.

 

Deep underground, in a dank cavern below Belgrave Square, an old magician ponders the trend of events, shapes destinies and brews his magical concoctions. It's secrecy he needs, not dryness. But for years now his peace has been spoiled by the rumble of the motor buses overhead and the far-off tube trains shaking Sloane Street. One evening, over his evil pipe, he decides that London has lived long enough, gone too far with its civilisation, and must be wrecked.

 

So he sends his acolyte off to fetch the one ingredient he needs: the heart of the toad that dwelleth in Arabia and by the mountains of Bethany. Within a year the acolyte is back, carrying a little casket of pure gold. Together the strange procession of two, the old man in his wonderful silks and the acolyte with the cauldron and the golden poker, marches through London to a small hill on its outskirts, where the herbs are lit and the great curse begins. Whether London survives the night, Dunsany saves for the very last line.

 

This classic short story for adults is a light-hearted wind-down for a busy mind, with Dunsany's mock-solemn wit, his love of old London 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 How Plash-Goo Came to the Land of None's Desire from the same collection, along with Lobster Salad and The True History of the Hare and the Tortoise.

 

A Narrow Escape was first published in Tales of Wonder (London: Elkin Mathews, 1916), known in the US as The Last Book of Wonder (Boston: John W. Luce, 1916). 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.

I'm Exhausted But My Mind Won't Stop — NSDR Non-Sleep Deep Rest for a Busy Mind | Guided Body Scan

 

I'm exhausted, but my mind won't stop. You're tired, you've done enough for one day, yet the moment you stop, your mind finds something else to think about: a conversation to replay, a decision to revisit, something tomorrow might bring. This 10-minute NSDR, or non-sleep deep rest, is a place to rest without needing to work anything out.

 

Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett. For more guided sessions for a busy mind, Martin's weekly blog and every Books at Bedtime story in one easy library, download Anchored, his app for panic and anxiety, 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 Thole, Martin's new whole body and mind app, at https://thole.app

 

Non-sleep deep rest is a guided relaxation practice in which you rest comfortably while following Martin's voice and noticing your body. There's no need to fall asleep, no breath to hold and nothing to achieve. This gentle body scan for relaxation moves from your forehead to your toes, and if racing thoughts appear, you don't have to finish them before coming back. You'll receive five caring affirmations and three daily caring tips. Please only listen when you can rest safely, away from driving.

 

⏱️ Time Chapters

* 00:00 – Exhausted, but my mind won't stop

* 00:29 – Welcome from Martin

* 00:38 – What is NSDR, non-sleep deep rest?

* 01:02 – Settling in safely

* 01:18 – Deep rest, nothing to achieve

* 01:35 – Your usual breathing

* 02:00 – Body scan: forehead, eyes and jaw

* 02:42 – Neck, shoulders, arms and hands

* 03:16 – Back, chest and breath

* 04:03 – Hips, legs and feet

* 04:49 – Your whole body at rest

* 05:04 – When racing thoughts appear

* 05:15 – Five caring affirmations

* 06:15 – Floating in this gift of time

* 06:38 – Affirmations, once more

* 07:29 – Simply being here

* 07:55 – Your 3 daily caring tips

* 08:46 – Gently returning to the room

* 09:20 – NSDR doesn't need a perfect calm

* 09:32 – Share the show and explore Anchored

* 10:18 – Smile often, and be kind

 

🌿 Today's Gentle Affirmations

Use them as suggestions, and allow them to land:

* I can rest without solving everything.

* I can meet a busy mind with kindness.

* I can let my body be supported.

* I do not have to force myself to relax.

* This moment of rest is enough for now.

 

💡 3 Daily Caring Tips

1. Rest before you run out: Try a short rest before you reach the end of your energy. A few quiet minutes can be something you allow yourself, rather than something you have to earn.

2. Give your attention somewhere ordinary to land: Between tasks, look away from the screen, notice the room and feel your feet resting on the floor.

3. Give a returning worry its own time: If a worry keeps returning, choose one manageable time to consider it. Outside that time, gently remind yourself, "I have a place for this. I do not have to work on it every moment."

 

📱 Take Calming Anxiety With You Anywhere

You don't have to emerge perfectly calm. For more guided sessions for a busy mind, Martin's weekly blog and all of Books at Bedtime in one easy-to-find library, download Anchored:

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

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

Or visit https://calminganxiety.org/anchored

 

🌱 Coming in December: Thole, Martin's whole body and mind app. Try it free now at https://thole.app

 

For seven years, this whole podcast and the app have been made by Martin on his own, so every share really helps. If this helped, please share it on social media, and leave a 30-second review on Apple Podcasts.

 

Have a lovely day, my friend. Smile often, be positive when you look in the mirror, 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 Plash-Goo Came to the Land of None's Desire by Lord Dunsany — A Funny Giant Fairy Tale for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Drift off with How Plash-Goo Came to the Land of None's Desire by Lord Dunsany, a short, wickedly funny fairy tale about a giant, a dwarf and a mountain-top grudge, read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety.

 

In a thatched cottage so enormous you might call it a palace, down on the plains, lives Plash-Goo, one of the children of the giants. His family has been shrinking for five hundred years, so that the giants are now no more than fifteen feet high. But high on the mountain tops above his house lives a dwarf, squat, ugly and hairy, who walks up and down along the edge every evening, in plain sight of Plash-Goo.

 

For weeks the giant puts up with the sight of him, until, as happens to all of us over little things, he can't sleep at night and even loses his taste for pigs. So at last Plash-Goo shoulders his club and climbs up to deal with the dwarf once and for all. He has already pictured exactly how it will go, and the precipice that drops away to the land of None's Desire. But the dwarf is broader than may be dreamed, and fate, as Dunsany puts it, would have it otherwise.

 

This classic short story for adults is a light-hearted wind-down for a busy mind, with Dunsany's dry wit, his mock-heroic fairy-tale style and Martin's calm, unhurried narration. If you've ever lain awake over something small that got under your skin, 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 Lobster Salad, The True History of the Hare and the Tortoise and How the Enemy Came to Thlunrana.

 

How Plash-Goo Came to the Land of None's Desire was first published in Tales of Wonder (London: Elkin Mathews, 1916), known in the US as The Last Book of Wonder (Boston: John W. Luce, 1916). 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.