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

Latest Episodes:

How to let go of stress - 10 minutes daily guided meditation Aug 03, 2026

Show notes

If you have been searching for how to let go of stress and quiet a busy, doubting mind, you are in exactly the right place. Welcome to your 10-minute daily guided meditation—a deliberate space designed to help you release physical tension, shed mental worry, and invite deep calm back into your day.
In this short session, we combine a highly effective 4-2-6 calming breath technique to switch off your nervous system's stress response with a gentle hot air balloon visualization for stress relief. We will also anchor your mind with five grounding affirmations for anxiety and share three daily caring tips to keep you steady, mindful, and resilient, no matter what your schedule looks like. Whether you need a morning mindfulness routine or a midday reset to lower your stress levels, take 10 minutes just for you, settle in, and let's begin to unwind together. 🧘 Mindful Timestamps & Session Breakdown

00:00 – Welcome to Calming Anxiety: Introduction to your daily 10-minute mental health break with host Martin Hewlett.
01:45 – The 4-2-6 Calming Breath Practice: Learn how to use a prolonged, slow out-breath to actively switch off your biological stress response.
03:27 – Hot Air Balloon Visualization: A gentle mental imagery exercise designed to help you release your worries and daily doubts one by one.
05:35 – 5 Grounding Affirmations for Stress: Positive statements to retrain your thoughts, steady your mind, and build quiet confidence.
06:58 – Affirmation Reflection: Allowing the calming words to land deeply a second time for subconscious integration.
08:23 – 3 Daily Caring Tips for Stress Relief: Practical, actionable psychological strategies ("Name it to tame it", "The 2-minute reset") to handle real-world anxiety.
09:42 – Gently Waking the Body & Closing: Bringing your awareness back to the room, feeling grounded, refreshe

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.

Books at Bedtime by Calming Anxiety - The Hound of the Baskervilles - Chapter 3 Aug 02, 2026

Show notes

Fall Asleep to Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles (Chapter 3 — The Curse of the Baskervilles) | A Bedtime Sleep Story for Insomnia & Relaxation | Books at Bedtime
Fall asleep to the timeless storytelling of Sherlock Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles. This relaxing bedtime audiobook is read slowly and softly to calm a busy mind, ease insomnia, quiet anxious thoughts, and gently guide you towards deep, restorative sleep through the soothing rhythm of classic literature.
Tonight we continue with Chapter Three of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous mystery, "The Curse of the Baskervilles."
By the fire at 221B Baker Street, Dr Mortimer unfolds an old manuscript from 1742 and reads the strange legend of Hugo Baskerville and the great black hound of the moor — then turns to a more recent newspaper account of the sudden death of Sir Charles Baskerville out on the lonely Devon moorland.
Let the voices of Holmes and Watson, and the hush of that candlelit room, carry you along at a slow, peaceful pace, so your racing thoughts can drift into the background while you rest comfortably in bed.
Whether you are struggling with insomnia, anxious or overthinking at 2am, or you simply love falling asleep to classic audiobooks, this Books at Bedtime episode is a calm, screen-free way to zone out and unwind before sleep.
Books at Bedtime combines classic audiobooks with mindful relaxation to help you fall asleep naturally, reduce anxiety, and enjoy a peaceful night's sleep.
Perfect if you are looking for:
Falling asleep naturally
Relief from insomnia and a racing mind
Relaxing bedtime stories and classic audiobooks for sleep
Mindful relaxation before bed
Calming anxiety and overthinking at night
A soothing voice to zone out to
If you enjoy these bedtime stories, you will find over 3,000 guided meditations, sleep stories, and panic attack relief sessions inside the Anchored app.
Sleep well.
Martin.
👉 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
Newsletter: Subscribe on Substack at 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/
Music: All music by Chris Collins
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 Do I Feel Like I Don't Deserve My Success — Imposter Syndrome Affirmations Aug 02, 2026

Show notes

The Calming Anxiety Podcast | Overcoming Imposter Syndrome and Self-Doubt
Soothe your anxious thoughts, overcome self-doubt, and find your daily sanctuary with deep relaxation, mindful breathing techniques, and expert clinical hypnotherapy.If you have ever stood in a meeting, accepted a promotion, or achieved a major milestone while quietly fearing that you don't deserve it, you are not alone. That persistent voice has a name: imposter syndrome.
It is far more common, and far less true, than it feels right now. Welcome to your safe space. In this ten-minute episode, we are going to gently quiet that inner critic and help you reclaim your confidence.Join Martin, a clinical hypnotherapist and former frontline paramedic, as he shares a powerful breathing practice used to ground his own nervous system before stepping into emergencies and martial arts sparring. Discover how to calm your mind and step into the space you have rightfully earned.
Time Chapters
00:00 – Cold Intro & Welcome (Understanding the weight of imposter syndrome)
00:33 – Your Daily Sanctuary (Meet Martin, your host and former paramedic)
01:09 – Trending Breathing Techniques (Box breathing for nervous system regulation) 04:09 – Visualisation & Affirmations (Visualizing and repeating internal truths)
08:15 – 3 Daily Caring Tips (Practical habits to combat the feeling of being a fraud)
09:26 – Awakening & Outro (Bringing awareness back and grounding your day)
Today's Affirmations Once heard, repeat these softly in your thoughts and let the echo of them become part of who you are:
"My success was not an accident, I built it one decision at a time."
"I do not need to feel ready to be qualified. I already am."
"The doubt in my mind is not evidence of incompetence, it is simply doubt."
"I am allowed to take up the space I have earned."
"I do not owe anyone an explanation for how far I have come."
"I was chosen, hired, promoted and trusted because of what I bring."
"I release the need to be flawless to feel deserving."
"My achievements do not require a disclaimer. I belong in the room I worked hard to enter."
3 Daily Caring Tips for a Happier Life

The Evidence File: Next time the fraud feeling creeps in, write down one concrete thing you did to get where you are—a skill you built or a problem you solved. Doubt rarely survives contact with evidence.
The Universal Doubt Check: Remind yourself that the most accomplished people you admire have felt this exact same way. Imposter syndrome doesn't shrink with achievement, it just gets better dressed.
The Pause Before Comparing: When you catch yourself comparing your behind-the-scenes to someone else's highlight reel, pause and ask: Am I comparing my whole story to their best five minutes?

Share the Peace If this ten-minute sanctuary helped you break through the grip of self-doubt today, please take a brief moment to share this episode on your social media. By sharing, you might help a colleague, friend, or loved one who is quietly struggling to realize that they are worthy too.To take your recovery to the next level, check out the Anxiety Circuit Breaker Course at calminganxiety.fm. For just sixty-seven dollars, it features five of my most focused clinical hypnotherapy sessions designed specifically to help you break free from anxiety.Thank you for being here, doing the work, and showing up.
Take care, smile often, and 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.

Books at Bedtime by Calming Anxiety - The Hound of the Baskervilles - Chapter 2 Aug 01, 2026

Show notes

Fall Asleep to Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles (Chapter 2 — The Curse of the Baskervilles) | A Bedtime Sleep Story for Insomnia & Relaxation | Books at Bedtime
Fall asleep to the timeless storytelling of Sherlock Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles. This relaxing bedtime audiobook is read slowly and softly to calm a busy mind, ease insomnia, quiet anxious thoughts, and gently guide you towards deep, restorative sleep through the soothing rhythm of classic literature.
Tonight we continue with Chapter Two of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous mystery, "The Curse of the Baskervilles."
By the fire at 221B Baker Street, Dr Mortimer unfolds an old manuscript from 1742 and reads the strange legend of Hugo Baskerville and the great black hound of the moor — then turns to a more recent newspaper account of the sudden death of Sir Charles Baskerville out on the lonely Devon moorland.
Let the voices of Holmes and Watson, and the hush of that candlelit room, carry you along at a slow, peaceful pace, so your racing thoughts can drift into the background while you rest comfortably in bed.
Whether you are struggling with insomnia, anxious or overthinking at 2am, or you simply love falling asleep to classic audiobooks, this Books at Bedtime episode is a calm, screen-free way to zone out and unwind before sleep.
Books at Bedtime combines classic audiobooks with mindful relaxation to help you fall asleep naturally, reduce anxiety, and enjoy a peaceful night's sleep.
Perfect if you are looking for:
Falling asleep naturally
Relief from insomnia and a racing mind
Relaxing bedtime stories and classic audiobooks for sleep
Mindful relaxation before bed
Calming anxiety and overthinking at night
A soothing voice to zone out to
If you enjoy these bedtime stories, you will find over 3,000 guided meditations, sleep stories, and panic attack relief sessions inside the Anchored app.
Sleep well.
Martin.
👉 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
Newsletter: Subscribe on Substack at 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/
Music: All music by Chris Collins
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 Feel Like I Am Never Enough - Meditation to Stop Negative Thinking Aug 01, 2026

Show notes

The Calming Anxiety Podcast | Silencing the Voice of "Never Enough"Gently put down the inner critic and find your daily sanctuary with soothing anxiety relief, breathing techniques, and expert hypnotherapy.
If you constantly feel like you're never enough—no matter how much you achieve—I want you to know that this feeling does not define who you are. Welcome to your space. In this ten-minute episode, we are going to quiet that internal scorecard and help you reclaim your peace of mind.
Join Martin, a clinical hypnotherapist and former frontline paramedic, as he guides you through a gentle, comforting practice designed to release the weight of expectations and settle an overactive mind.
Time Chapters
00:00 – Cold Intro & Welcome (Meeting you exactly where you are)
00:27 – Your Sanctuary Space (Meet Martin, your host and former paramedic)
01:09 – Trending Breathing Techniques (The beauty and kindness of the exhale)
04:09 – Visualisation & Affirmations (Putting down the internal checklist)
08:20 – 3 Daily Caring Tips (Practical advice for a happier, gentler life)
09:36 – Awakening & Outro (Bringing awareness back to your day)
Today's Affirmations
Repeat these internally during the meditation or let them softly wash over you:
"My worth was never a number I was supposed to reach. I am not behind. I am exactly where I am."
"The things I haven't finished do not cancel out the things I have done."
"I am allowed to rest without earning it first."
"I am not behind in life. I am living it exactly on time."
"The voice that tells me I am never enough is not the truth. It's just an old habit, and habits can change."
"I release the need to prove myself today. I am allowed to simply exist."
3 Daily Caring Tips for a Happier Life

The Evidence Log: Tonight, write down just one thing you did today that had everything to do with being human and nothing to do with achievement (e.g., a kind word, a deep breath, or simply showing up tired).
The Permission Pause: The next time you think, "I should have done more," stop and ask yourself, "Says who?" Challenge the authority of that old habit before you believe it.
The Score Reset: At the end of the day, instead of asking if you did enough, ask yourself, "Was I kind to myself today?" That is a scorecard you can actually win.

Share the Peace If this ten-minute sanctuary helped you put down your heavy weights today, please take a quick moment to share this episode on your social media. You never know who in your circle might need a gentle reminder that they are already enough.Download the Ankrt app on iOS and Android via the link below for ongoing support throughout your day.
👉 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.

Books at Bedtime by Calming Anxiety - Sherlock Holmes - The Hound of the Baskervilles - Chapter 1 Jul 31, 2026

Show notes

Fall Asleep to Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles (Chapter 1) — A Bedtime Sleep Story for Insomnia & Relaxation | Books at Bedtime
Fall asleep to the timeless storytelling of Sherlock Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles. This relaxing bedtime audiobook is read slowly and softly to calm a busy mind, ease insomnia, quiet anxious thoughts, and gently guide you towards deep, restorative sleep through the soothing rhythm of classic literature.
Tonight we begin Chapter One of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous mystery. In the quiet of 221B Baker Street, Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson turn their attention to a visitor's forgotten walking stick — and from that single object, Holmes begins to unravel the story of the man who left it behind. Let the famous partnership of Holmes and Watson unfold at a slow, peaceful pace, so your racing thoughts can drift into the background while you rest comfortably in bed.
Whether you are struggling with insomnia, anxious or overthinking at 2am, or you simply love falling asleep to classic audiobooks, this Books at Bedtime episode is a calm, screen-free way to zone out and unwind before sleep.
Books at Bedtime combines classic audiobooks with mindful relaxation to help you fall asleep naturally, reduce anxiety, and enjoy a peaceful night's sleep.
Perfect if you are looking for:
Falling asleep naturally
Relief from insomnia and a racing mind
Relaxing bedtime stories and classic audiobooks for sleep
Mindful relaxation before bed
Calming anxiety and overthinking at night
A soothing voice to zone out to
If you enjoy these bedtime stories, you will find over 3,000 guided meditations, sleep stories, and panic attack relief sessions inside the Anchored app.
Sleep well.
Martin.
👉 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
Newsletter: Subscribe on Substack at 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/
Music: All music by Chris Collins
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 Feeling Anxious : A 10-Minute Reset for Panic and Racing Thoughts Jul 31, 2026

Show notes

I’m Feeling Anxious? This 10-minute reset for panic and racing thoughts is designed to pull you out of the noise and back into the quiet architecture of the present moment. Whether you are experiencing high alert or a full-blown panic attack, this session provides immediate nervous system regulation.
In this episode, Martin—a clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic—guides you through:

The 426 Carbon Reset: A specialized breathing technique (inhale for 4, hold for 2, exhale for 6) designed to bypass the thinking brain and talk directly to your vagus nerve.
A Cortisol Flush: Using paced exhalations to signal to your brain that the threat has passed.
Somatic Anchoring: Shifting from "high arousal" to "proprioceptive awareness" by feeling the physical foundation beneath you.
The Architecture of Now: Visualizing the true, unmoving lines of your environment to ground your thoughts.

Internal Affirmations for StabilityRepeat these internally during the session to reclaim your internal baseline:

"I am regulated."
"I am safe in my skin."
"My body is a solid structure, the storm is outside, not within."
"I am returning to my center."

3 Daily Caring Tips for a Happier LifeMartin shares three "micro-rest" tips to keep this calm with you throughout the day:

The Sensory Circuit Breaker: Use cold water or an ice cube to shock your system out of a thought loop.
Digital Hygiene: A one-hour "dopamine fast" by placing your phone in another room.
The 60-Second Completion: Reclaim your sense of agency by putting one small thing back in its place.

Go Deeper: For five guided hypnosis tracks specifically designed to break the cycle of anxiety, visit calminganxiety.fm and explore the Anxiety Breaker Course.
Be kind to yourself today.
👉 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.

Books at Bedtime by Calming Anxiety - Where Love is, God Is by Tolstoy Jul 30, 2026

Show notes

Sleep Story for Insomnia & Deep Relaxation — Where Love Is, God Is by Leo Tolstoy | Books at Bedtime
A slow, calming sleep story to quiet a racing mind and help you fall asleep — and stay asleep.
If insomnia keeps you awake, let this gentle bedtime story carry you down into deep, restful sleep. "Where Love Is, God Is" is a warm, softly-read classic short story by Leo Tolstoy — over half an hour of unhurried narration, with no music swells, no cliffhangers and no jolts, just a calm voice and a slow, sleepy pace designed to ease you into relaxation.
The story follows Martin the cobbler, who lives in a little basement room and watches the world pass by his window, until a whispered promise leads him through one quiet day of small kindnesses. It's tender, comforting and utterly soothing — the perfect thing to drift off to.
This is Books at Bedtime and Coffee Break for the Soul from Calming Anxiety — sleep stories, relaxing audiobook readings and calm bedtime meditations for insomnia, anxiety and deep sleep, read by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett.
So turn off the light, close your eyes, and let this classic bedtime story relax your body and quieten your mind. Let the words blur, let go of the day, and sleep.
Sleep well.
👉 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
Newsletter: Subscribe on Substack at 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/
Music: All music by Chris Collins
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 Calm People Still Burn Out - Guided Meditation for a Calmer Soul Jul 30, 2026

Show notes

Have you ever wondered why you can show up perfectly, stay calm under pressure, and hold everything together for everyone else, yet still feel like you are quietly running on empty? In today’s episode of Calming Anxiety, we unpack the hidden reality of high-functioning anxiety—the state where your outside performs flawlessly while your inside is quietly starved of fuel.
Hosted by Martin, a clinical hypnotherapist and former frontline paramedic, this 10-minute session is designed specifically to help you move past the mere absence of panic and step into true nervous system regulation. Together, we explore the clinical concept of allostatic load—the accumulated weight of a thousand ordinary, unrecovered days—and engage in a powerful 4-2-6 breathing practice to stimulate your vagal tone and restore your ventral vagal state of deep safety. Key Timestamps & Journey Points

00:00 – The Illusion of Coping: Why calm people still burn out and what high-functioning anxiety really looks like.
00:34 – Welcome to Calming Anxiety: Introduction by Martin, clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic.
01:18 – Understanding Allostatic Load: Realizing that burnout isn't a sudden crash, but months of quiet, low-level sympathetic activation.
02:14 – The Vagal Tone Restoration: A guided 4-2-6 breathing exercise to signal safety to your brain.
04:02 – The Foundation Visualization: Journeying into the structure of your house to address the invisible wear and tear.
06:47 – Affirmations for Rest: Internalizing permission to step down before a collapse occurs.
08:04 – 3 Daily Caring Tips: Practical, immediate strategies to protect your energy and capacity.
09:41 – Outro & Community Connection: A reminder to prioritize your mind, body, and soul, and to always Be Kind

Books at Bedtime By Calming Anxiety - HOW THE CAMEL GOT HIS HUMP by Rudyard Kipling Jul 29, 2026

Show notes

How the Camel Got His Hump by Rudyard Kipling — A Calming Bedtime Story for Sleep, Insomnia & Deep Relaxation | Books at Bedtime
A gentle bedtime story to help you fall asleep — read slowly and softly by Martin, for anyone lying awake in need of something kind to drift off to.
Tonight's reading is How the Camel Got His Hump, one of Rudyard Kipling's best-loved Just So Stories, first published in 1902 and long out of copyright.
It's a warm, funny little tale from the beginning of the world, when the animals were only just starting to work alongside people. A camel lives out in the middle of the desert doing absolutely nothing, answering everything that is said to him with a single word — until the Djinn in charge of all deserts comes rolling by in his cloud of dust and settles the matter once and for all.
Kipling wrote these stories to be read aloud to a sleepy child, and it shows. The gentle repetition, the returning refrain, the slow tally of the days — it's a rhythm that lets a busy mind stop gripping and start to drift. Perfect for insomnia, for night-time anxiety, or for anyone who simply wants a familiar voice in the dark.
There is nothing to follow here and nothing to do. No breathing exercise, no affirmations, no tips. Just a story that takes you somewhere a long way from your own day. If you're asleep before the Djinn ever arrives, the story has done exactly what it came to do.
This is Books at Bedtime, part of Coffee Break for the Soul from the Calming Anxiety podcast — a growing library of classic sleep stories, relaxing audiobooks and public-domain readings for insomnia, night-time anxiety and deep relaxation.
Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett.
Every Books at Bedtime story is also inside Anchored, our iOS app — offline-ready, with a built-in nightlight for the small hours, so there is always something waiting for you at three in the morning.
Sleep well, my friend, 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
Newsletter: Subscribe on Substack at 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/
Music: All music by Chris Collins
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.

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