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

The Gossip of Valley View by L.M. Montgomery — A Funny, Feel-Good Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Drift off to sleep with The Gossip of Valley View by L.M. Montgomery, a gently funny and heart-warming tale of small-town rumour and late-blooming romance from the author of Anne of Green Gables, read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety.

 

It's the first of April, and fourteen-year-old Julius Barrett hasn't managed to fool a single soul all day. So when solemn, truthful Dan Chester rides by on his grey mare, Julius can't resist one last April Fool. He whispers some astonishing news: Adelia Williams and Young Thomas Everett are to be married in June. They are the very last two people in Valley View anyone would pair together. Young Thomas is a confirmed bachelor of fifty, Adelia a cheerful spinster of forty, and the two families have never been friendly.

 

Within days the story is everywhere. At the blacksmith's, the mill, the post office and even the minister's visit, Young Thomas is teased and congratulated wherever he goes. The rumour grows with every telling: a brown cashmere wedding dress, a hat with an ostrich plume, and then an actual wedding present arriving by express from a cousin in Minnesota. The trouble is, the more Valley View talks, the more Young Thomas finds himself thinking about Adelia's rosy cheeks and twinkling brown eyes.

 

This classic bedtime story for adults is perfect for winding down, easing insomnia and letting a busy mind settle into deep, restful sleep. Montgomery's warm humour, cosy village characters 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 L.M. Montgomery, you'll find more of her short stories on Books at Bedtime, including The Fillmore Elderberries, Jessamine, A Redeeming Sacrifice and Uncle Richard's New Year's Dinner, all from the same collection.

 

The Gossip of Valley View was first published in 1910 and is collected in Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1909 to 1922. L.M. Montgomery (1874–1942) 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

 

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.

Anxious About the Week Ahead? — A 10-Minute Guided Meditation for Sunday Night Anxiety & Overwhelm | Gentle 3-5 Breathing

 

Anxious about the week ahead? It hasn't started yet, but you can already feel it: the things you need to do, the people waiting on you, the appointments, the responsibilities, the messages you haven't even answered. You're trying to enjoy a quiet evening while your mind is several days ahead. This 10-minute guided meditation for anxiety about the week ahead reminds you that you don't have to carry the whole week this evening.

 

Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett, creator of more than 2,500 Calming Anxiety episodes, every one of them searchable and downloadable in the Anchored app for whenever you need them. Find it 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

 

Together we notice the room around you, then follow a gentle breath in for three and out for five, with no holding. That longer out-breath helps a busy, overwhelmed mind slow down. You'll learn what to do when a task suddenly pops into your head, receive five affirmations for meeting the coming week one day at a time, and leave with three practical daily caring tips for Sunday night anxiety, stress relief and a calmer start to your week.

 

⏱️ Time Chapters

* 00:00 – Anxious about the week ahead?

* 00:33 – Welcome from Martin

* 00:47 – 2,500+ episodes in the Anchored app

* 00:57 – Finding your quiet place

* 01:15 – Noticing the room around you

* 01:27 – Something simple to follow: your breath

* 01:50 – Gentle breathing: in for 3, out for 5

* 03:33 – When a task pops into your mind

* 04:44 – Letting your breath find its own rhythm

* 05:10 – Today's gentle affirmations

* 06:30 – You are worthy

* 06:46 – Affirmations, once more

* 07:53 – Taking this comfort into the week ahead

* 08:14 – Your 3 daily caring tips

* 09:13 – Gently returning to the room

* 09:43 – This really is just me

* 10:08 – Anchored and the Instant Calm blue button

* 10:36 – Until tomorrow, be kind

 

🌿 Today's Gentle Affirmations

Visualise these words in your mind's eye, notice their colour and size, then repeat them gently:

* I can meet the coming week one day at a time.

* I am allowed to enjoy this evening while tomorrow remains unfinished.

* I can choose one manageable step at a time.

* I can ask for support when my week feels too heavy.

* I can return to the present whenever my mind runs ahead.

 

💡 3 Daily Caring Tips

1. Give your list somewhere to wait: If worries about the week ahead keep circling, write down the essentials and choose one priority for the next working day. Give the list somewhere to wait rather than repeatedly reviewing it in your mind.

2. Choose a stopping point for preparation: Once you've done what is reasonably useful, let yourself move into an ordinary evening activity. You can return to the remaining tasks at an appropriate time.

3. Keep one small thing to look forward to: A walk, a conversation, a favourite meal or a few quiet minutes. Give that moment a place alongside your responsibilities.

 

📱 Take Calming Anxiety With You Anywhere

The week ahead can unfold one part at a time, and you have more control than it feels like tonight. This isn't a huge corporation, it's just Martin, seven years of sharing mindfulness and helping you take back control. Keep these guided meditations close to hand in Anchored, where Instant Calm, the big blue button for panic attacks and fast breathing, works offline forever, no purchase needed:

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

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

 

If you have a free moment, please share this episode on your social media with someone who dreads the week ahead, and leave a 30-second rating or review on Apple Podcasts. For a one-man show, it truly means the world.

 

Have a lovely day, my friend. Truly. Let's reconnect tomorrow. And as always, in absolutely everything we do, 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 Fillmore Elderberries by L.M. Montgomery — A Calming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Drift off to sleep with The Fillmore Elderberries by L.M. Montgomery, a warm and uplifting country tale of hard work, honesty and second chances from the author of Anne of Green Gables, read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety.

 

Ellis Duncan is just fourteen when his father dies, and he must earn a living for himself and his fragile, worn-out mother. But in the farming village of Dalrymple, nobody wants to hire Sam Duncan's son. His father was lazy, shiftless and untrustworthy, and everyone assumes the boy will be the same. Even his own uncle, the stern and tight-fisted Timothy Robinson, turns him away at the door.

 

Then, sitting on a fence at the edge of old Thomas Fillmore's pasture, Ellis sees his chance. Once the finest field in Dalrymple, it has been overrun for years by stubborn elderberry bushes taller than a man, with roots thicker than his wrist. For a meagre sixteen dollars, Ellis promises to clear the whole field and see the job through to the end. Week after week, under the hot summer sun, he digs, cuts and drags out the roots, while someone is quietly watching. And when a far better offer comes along, Ellis must decide what his word is worth.

 

This classic bedtime story for adults is perfect for winding down, easing insomnia and letting a busy mind settle into deep, restful sleep. Montgomery's gentle rural scenery, a heart-warming 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 L.M. Montgomery, you'll find more of her short stories on Books at Bedtime, including Jessamine, A Redeeming Sacrifice and Uncle Richard's New Year's Dinner, all from the same collection.

 

The Fillmore Elderberries was first published in 1909 and is collected in Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1909 to 1922. L.M. Montgomery (1874–1942) 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

 

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.

Exhausted But Can't Relax? — NSDR Non-Sleep Deep Rest Guided Meditation for a Busy Mind | Gentle Box Breathing

 

Exhausted but can't relax? You finally have a moment to yourself and nothing needs doing, yet you're still braced for the next thing. Your body feels tired while your mind keeps checking, planning and reminding you. This 10-minute NSDR guided meditation, inspired by Non-Sleep Deep Rest, gives a busy mind time to settle without needing to fall asleep, and without having to earn it by finishing everything first.

 

Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett, today's practice uses gentle box breathing for a busy mind: in for three, hold for three, out for three, rest for three, tracing the four sides of a small square with your breath. Want more box breathing? It's built into the Anchored app, where you can create your own patterns, all voiced by Martin. No AI, no beeps, just the two of you finding balance together. Download it 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

 

You'll ease tired body and racing thoughts into deep relaxation, receive five kind affirmations for rest when you're exhausted, and leave with three practical daily caring tips for quiet rest, stress relief and anxiety relief through the rest of your day.

 

⏱️ Time Chapters

* 00:00 – Exhausted but can't relax?

* 00:37 – Welcome from Martin

* 00:45 – Box breathing and NSDR (Non-Sleep Deep Rest)

* 01:18 – Getting comfy and noticing your breath

* 01:43 – Gentle box breathing: in 3, hold 3, out 3, rest 3

* 03:30 – Tracing the four sides of a square

* 04:29 – Letting go of the counting

* 05:05 – Today's gentle affirmations

* 06:25 – Sinking into deeper rest

* 06:52 – Affirmations, once more

* 07:43 – Your 3 daily caring tips

* 08:55 – Gently returning to the room

* 09:29 – Box breathing and Instant Calm in the Anchored app

* 10:05 – Anchored Premium: ad-free, with full Books at Bedtime

* 10:30 – Until tomorrow, be kind

 

🌿 Today's Gentle Affirmations

Repeat them silently in your thoughts, or simply feel them and let them find a place within:

* I am allowed to rest while some things remain unfinished.

* I can feel tired without asking more of myself right now.

* I can notice a thought and gently return to the present.

* I can soften a little without needing to relax completely.

* I can take the next part of my day, one manageable step at a time.

 

💡 3 Daily Caring Tips

1. Give rest a clear beginning: Put down what you're holding, silence any unnecessary notifications and sit somewhere comfortable. Choose one small action that marks a few minutes as yours.

2. Rest without making sleep the goal: When you feel exhausted but unable to relax, try a short period of quiet rest. Keep your breathing comfy and let your attention settle on a simple physical sensation.

3. Choose a manageable next step: Before returning to your day, have a drink, eat something or finish one small task. Give that one thing your attention before deciding what follows.

 

📱 Take Calming Anxiety With You Anywhere

You've created a little space today. Take care of it, protect it, and come back to it whenever you need. In the Anchored app, Instant Calm, Martin's panic attack support, is always there, offline and free forever:

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

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

 

If you'd like to support the show in a small way, Anchored Premium removes all the adverts and gives you full access to Books at Bedtime, for 5.99 a month, less than a large mocha. Ads are all Martin lives on, so every Premium listener truly makes a difference. Thank you.

 

And please share this episode with someone who's running on empty, and leave a 30-second rating or review on Apple Podcasts. It helps the next tired, anxious listener find their way here.

 

Take care of yourself today, my friend. Let's reconnect tomorrow. And as always, in everything we do, 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.

Jessamine by L.M. Montgomery — A Gentle Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Drift off to sleep with Jessamine by L.M. Montgomery, a sweet and heart-warming country romance from the author of Anne of Green Gables, read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety.

 

Jessamine Stacy was born and raised in the country, among vine-covered porches, maple trees and great green fields. But when her sister dies and the old home has to go, she must move to the city to live with her brother and his stylish wife, where she quietly becomes the maid of all work in a hot, stifling little kitchen. All winter she grows thinner and paler, and by summer her homesickness is almost unbearable.

 

Then one morning the vegetable man knocks at the side door, and it isn't the usual one. Old Mr. Bell has broken his leg, and his nephew Drew, tall, sunburned and kind, has taken over the rounds, with a spray of honeysuckle pinned to his coat. One flower leads to another: prairie roses, ferns, old-fashioned garden blooms. Then comes a drive through the cool, quiet beech woods to Cloverside Farm at Pine Pastures, an afternoon among clover fields, Jersey calves and a country supper, and a moonlit ride home that changes everything.

 

This classic bedtime story for adults is perfect for winding down, easing insomnia and letting a busy mind settle into deep, restful sleep. Montgomery's soft, sunlit country scenery, a gentle happy 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 L.M. Montgomery, you'll find more of her short stories on Books at Bedtime, including A Redeeming Sacrifice and Uncle Richard's New Year's Dinner, both from the same collection.

 

Jessamine was first published in 1909 and is collected in Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1909 to 1922. L.M. Montgomery (1874–1942) 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

 

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.