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Davenport's Story by L. M. Montgomery — A Gentle Ghost Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime   Get cosy, let the rain fall outside and drift towards sleep with a gentle ghost story from L. M. Montgomery, the beloved author of Anne of Green Gables. Davenport's Story is a short, atmospheric tale told around the fire on a rainy afternoon, more mysterious than frightening, read slowly and softly as a bedtime story for adults who want to wind down, ease insomnia and fall into deep, restful sleep. A perfect autumn sleep story for the Halloween season.   A group of friends have been passing a wet afternoon swapping ghost stories, with all the usual mysterious noises, death warnings and sheeted spectres. But Jack, the sceptic of the group, is unimpressed. Every tale is second-hand, he says. Nobody has ever met a man who actually saw a ghost himself.   Then quiet, practical Davenport wanders in, and after a little coaxing admits that something strange did once happen to him, something he has never been able to explain. It concerns his brother Charles, a reserved man with a deep and faithful heart, and Davenport's daughter Dolly, who was always Uncle Charlie's girl. One afternoon, alone in his library, Davenport turns round to find someone standing between him and the bookcase, with a warning about a ship called the Aragon. Whether it was a dream, a coincidence or something more, you'll have to listen and decide for yourself.   If you enjoy this classic audiobook reading, you'll find more of L. M. Montgomery's short stories in the Books at Bedtime series from Calming Anxiety, including The Parting of the Ways, The Story of an Invitation, Kismet and By the Rule of Contrary, all ideal for a relaxing sleep audiobook night.   Davenport's Story was first published in 1902 and is collected in Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1902 to 1903. L. M. Montgomery (1874–1942) has been in the public domain for many years, and this reading is shared freely for your rest and relaxation.   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 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.

Anxiety About the Week Ahead — Guided Meditation for a Busy Week or a Change of Routine | Extended Exhale Breathing   Anxiety about the week ahead can start before the week has even begun. Who needs what, where you have to be, how you'll fit it all in, or the unsettled feeling of a change of routine and a stretch of time you don't know what to do with. This 10-minute guided meditation for anxiety relief helps you put down a little of the weight of a week that hasn't happened yet.   Listen offline in Anchored, Martin's own app for panic and anxiety. The big blue Instant Calm button is free, works offline and needs no sign-up. iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 | Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored   Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett. Together you'll settle into ordinary, unforced breathing, let the out-breath lengthen gently to calm the nervous system, ground yourself through your hands and feet when your mind races ahead, then repeat calming affirmations and take away three daily caring tips for anticipatory anxiety, a busy schedule, or a change of routine.   ⏱️ Time Chapters * 00:00 – Carrying a week that hasn't happened yet * 00:39 – Welcome to Calming Anxiety * 01:01 – Find your quiet place * 01:26 – Noticing the ordinary breath * 02:05 – Softening hands and shoulders * 02:36 – A longer, gentler out-breath * 03:06 – Grounding through your feet * 03:42 – When your mind runs ahead to the week * 04:27 – Noticing the picture of the week ahead * 04:53 – Today's gentle affirmations * 06:12 – Relaxing deeper, repeating the affirmations * 07:36 – Choosing the affirmation that helps most * 08:00 – 3 Daily Caring Tips * 09:01 – Returning to the room * 09:35 – Anchored: Instant Calm, free and offline * 10:04 – Martin's 5 Things to Try When Anxiety Hits * 10:22 – Be kind   🌿 Today's Gentle Affirmations Repeat these quietly whenever the week ahead feels too much: * I can meet this week one day at a time. * I can prepare without predicting everything. * A change of routine does not mean I have to get everything right. * My needs belong in the plan as well. * I can return to today when tomorrow feels too heavy.   💡 3 Daily Caring Tips 1. **Arranging, not imagining** – Separate what needs arranging from what you're imagining. Write down one practical thing you can act on and choose when to do it. 2. **One point of structure** – Give the day one simple point of structure: a meal, a short walk, or a time to check in with someone. You can create a little shape without filling every hour. 3. **Ask early** – Ask for one specific piece of help before the pressure builds: a shared job, a lift, some company, or someone taking over for a while. A clear request gives people a better chance to support you.   📱 Take Calming Anxiety With You Anywhere Download Anchored for a familiar voice close by during the week, with free Instant Calm whenever anxiety hits:   iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669   Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored   🧡 Get Martin's free 5 Things to Try When Anxiety Hits: https://calminganxiety.org/calm   If this episode helped, please share it with someone who's dreading the week ahead, and take 30 seconds to leave a rating or review on Apple Podcasts. It helps others find calm too.   And in everything, my friend, 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 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.

The Parting of the Ways by L. M. Montgomery — A Calming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime   Settle in, dim the lights and let this classic short story by L. M. Montgomery, the beloved author of Anne of Green Gables, carry you gently towards sleep. The Parting of the Ways is a quiet, late-summer tale of friendship, faith and a choice made in private, read slowly and softly as a bedtime story for adults who want to wind down, ease insomnia and drift into deep, restful sleep.   At a seaside hotel at the end of the season, the gossips on the piazza watch the beautiful Mrs. Beatrice Longworth walk down the shore road, and murmur about her unhappy marriage and the attentions of another man. Out among the warm sand hills and golden sea grasses she finds Stephen Gordon, the shy, dreamy, overgrown boy who has been her loyal friend all summer and who dreams of becoming a great artist.   Stephen has news. A telegram from his father calls him to Rome to study art, and he leaves tomorrow. But before he goes he has something he needs to say to her, and in his halting, heartfelt way he tells Beatrice what her friendship has meant to him. What he says reaches her at exactly the moment it matters most, and the story closes in the stillness of her room with a decision only she will ever know about.   This is one of L. M. Montgomery's tender, beautifully understated stories about the quiet ways one person can change another. If you enjoy it, you'll find more of her short stories in the Books at Bedtime series from Calming Anxiety, including The Story of an Invitation, Kismet, By the Rule of Contrary and Uncle Richard's New Year's Dinner, all perfect for a relaxing sleep audiobook night.   The Parting of the Ways was first published in 1907 and is collected in Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1907 to 1908. L. M. Montgomery (1874–1942) has been in the public domain for many years, and this classic audiobook reading is shared freely for your rest and relaxation.   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 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.

How Do I Stop Overthinking Everything? — Guided Meditation for a Busy Mind | Anxiety Relief   How do I stop overthinking everything? You replay the conversation, then rehearse the next one. You go over what you should have said, what they might have meant, and whether something you haven't even done yet will go wrong. This 10-minute guided meditation for overthinking gives a busy mind something simpler to return to.   Listen offline in Anchored, Martin's own app, where your three daily caring tips are written down and saved for you. iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 | Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored   Clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett guides you through gentle out-breath awareness, with nothing to hold and nothing to count, a simple way to stop following a thought for the length of one breath, five calming affirmations for racing thoughts and rumination, and three daily caring tips for when overthinking is wearing you down.   ⏱️ Time Chapters * 00:00 – How do I stop overthinking everything? * 00:37 – Welcome to Calming Anxiety * 00:57 – Finding a quiet place * 01:15 – Noticing the breath you already have * 01:37 – Following the out-breath * 02:05 – Softening the jaw and shoulders * 02:34 – Stop following a thought for one breath * 02:54 – When a thought pulls you away * 03:29 – A slower out-breath, nothing to count * 03:59 – When "let go" feels like another instruction * 04:50 – "There's that thought again" * 05:23 – Five gentle affirmations * 06:00 – How one thought becomes a long trail * 07:54 – Letting the words settle * 08:16 – 3 Daily Caring Tips * 09:11 – Returning to the room * 09:43 – Your tips saved in Anchored * 10:26 – Never give up, and be kind   🌿 Today's Gentle Affirmations Repeat these quietly whenever your mind won't stop overthinking: * I can notice a thought without following it. * I can leave that thought unfinished for now. * I do not have to solve every worry right now. * I can leave the conversation in the past. * I can take one step without knowing every outcome.   💡 3 Daily Caring Tips 1. **Write it in one sentence** – When a worry keeps repeating, write it down in one sentence. Ask yourself whether there is a practical step you can take, and if there is, choose when to take it. 2. **Practise returning** – Use an ordinary moment to practise returning: while washing your hands, making a drink or sitting down. Feel your feet and notice one easy out-breath. 3. **Let someone know** – Let someone know if overthinking is wearing you down. You can say, "I've been getting caught up in my thoughts and I'd like to talk." If it's regularly affecting your sleep or everyday life, speak to your doctor or a qualified therapist.   📱 Take Calming Anxiety With You Anywhere Your three daily caring tips are always there in Anchored, written down and saved. Downloading it and leaving a review supports the show, and you can go ad-free inside the app:   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   If this episode helped, please share it on your social media, and take 30 seconds to leave a rating or review on Apple Podcasts. It helps others find calm too.   And in everything, my friend, 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 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.

By the Rule of Contrary by L. M. Montgomery — A Funny Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime   Drift off to sleep with By the Rule of Contrary by L. M. Montgomery, a warm and gently funny country love story read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety.   Out in the turnip field on a summer afternoon, young Burton Ellis tells his father the truth. He has been courting Madge Oliver all summer, they are engaged, and they hope to marry in the autumn. Old John Ellis, known as the most contrary man in Greenwood, flies into a rage. No son of his will marry an Oliver, and if Burton does, he won't see a cent of money or a rod of land.   Down in her little brown house, Madge cries her heart out. But her aunt, Miss Susan Oliver, a tall, grim-looking spinster with the kindest heart in the district, isn't worried at all. She went to school with John Ellis, and she knows exactly how to manage him.   So Miss Susan squares her shoulders, twists up her grey hair, and marches up the lane to his veranda. What follows is a delightful battle of wills, a lesson in how to drive a pig, and an ending that will leave you smiling as you drift off.   This classic bedtime story for adults is perfect for winding down, easing insomnia and letting a busy mind settle into deep, restful sleep. Calm narration, gentle humour and a soft, unhurried pace make it an ideal sleep audiobook for anyone who finds it hard to switch off at night.   If you enjoy L. M. Montgomery, the author of Anne of Green Gables, you'll find more of her short stories on Books at Bedtime, including Kismet, The Story of an Invitation, A Case of Trespass, A Golden Wedding and Uncle Richard's New Year's Dinner.   By the Rule of Contrary was first published in 1908 and is collected in Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1907 to 1908. 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 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 Do I Feel Guilty When I Rest? — Anxiety Relief Guided Meditation | Permission to Rest   Why do I feel guilty when I rest? You finally sit down, and straight away your mind starts listing everything you could be doing: the washing, the unanswered message, the thing you said you'd sort out. This 10-minute guided meditation is for anyone who rests but never really settles, and who feels they have to earn a break.   Listen offline in Anchored, Martin's own app, with an Instant Calm button for the moments you feel panicky or anxious. iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 | Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored   Clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett guides you through gentle, uncounted breath awareness, a simple way to notice the "I should be doing something" thought without obeying it, calming affirmations about rest and self-care, and three daily caring tips for when rest guilt and productivity guilt won't let you switch off.   ⏱️ Time Chapters * 00:00 – Why do I feel guilty when I rest? * 00:47 – Welcome to Calming Anxiety * 01:21 – Finding your comfy place * 01:46 – When stopping feels uncomfortable * 02:14 – Leaving the explanation unfinished * 02:44 – Ordinary breath, no counting * 03:56 – "I should be doing something" * 04:39 – Relaxing isn't another job * 05:37 – Acknowledging the guilt * 06:16 – Unfinished isn't the same as wrong * 06:51 – Today's gentle affirmations * 07:48 – Choosing the words that help most * 08:28 – 3 Daily Caring Tips * 09:23 – Returning to the room * 10:02 – Support the show in Anchored * 10:59 – Be kind   🌿 Today's Gentle Affirmations Repeat these quietly whenever you feel guilty for resting: * I am allowed to take a break with things still unfinished. * My needs belong on the to-do list as well. * I can care about my responsibilities and still care for myself. * I do not have to make every quiet moment productive. * I will practise resting a little at a time.   💡 3 Daily Caring Tips 1. **Let one task wait** – Choose one task that can safely wait and let yourself take a brief break before it's finished. Give yourself the chance to experience rest without reaching the end of the list. 2. **Change the language** – Notice the language you use when you stop. If "I'm being lazy" appears, try something more accurate: "I'm taking a break." You don't need to add an accusation to an ordinary human need. 3. **Make one small request** – If you need help, ask someone to share a job, give you a little time or simply keep you company. You don't have to carry everything silently.   📱 Take Calming Anxiety With You Anywhere Support the show by listening in Anchored, made by Martin, not a corporate machine. Every episode in one easy app, plus Premium with no ads, the full Books at Bedtime library, and your favourite night lights and box breathing saved:   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   If this episode helped, please share it with someone who never stops, and take 30 seconds to leave a rating or review on Apple Podcasts. It helps others find calm too.   And in everything, my friend, 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 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.

Kismet by L. M. Montgomery — A Calming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime   Drift off to sleep with Kismet by L. M. Montgomery, a short, quietly romantic Victorian story read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety.   It is a brilliant September afternoon at the races. The crowd on the grandstand is cheering the mare Lulu home in the free-for-all when a young woman drops her scorecard, and the man in front of her turns to offer his own. As their eyes meet, both of them go pale. He is the husband she left five years ago.   She married him at eighteen, a high-spirited society beauty. He was older, a quiet scholar who loved books and seclusion. Their strong wills clashed, and after two unhappy years they parted without scandal. Now, side by side in the grandstand, they make polite small talk about the race while old feelings rise to the surface.   As Lulu and her rival, Mascot, line up for the deciding heat, he asks her a question she isn't ready to answer, and she makes an impulsive bargain that leaves everything to fate. What follows is a gentle, satisfying story about pride, second chances and the things we leave unsaid.   This classic bedtime story for adults is perfect for winding down, easing insomnia and letting a busy mind settle into deep, restful sleep. Calm narration, a soft, unhurried pace and a tender ending make it an ideal sleep audiobook for anyone who finds it hard to switch off at night.   If you enjoy L. M. Montgomery, the author of Anne of Green Gables, you'll find more of her short stories on Books at Bedtime, including The Story of an Invitation, A Case of Trespass, A Golden Wedding and Uncle Richard's New Year's Dinner.   Kismet was first published in 1899 and is collected in Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1896 to 1901. 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 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.

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.

The Story of an Invitation by L. M. Montgomery — A Calming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime   Drift off to sleep with The Story of an Invitation by L. M. Montgomery, a gentle and heart-warming short story read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety.   Bertha Sutherland is bright, pretty and popular at the academy in Dartmouth. Her roommate, Grace Maxwell, is quiet, pale and dressed in mourning, alone in the world since the aunt who raised her died. Over one pleasant school year the two become close friends.   As the summer holidays approach, Bertha receives a letter she has been hoping for. Her beloved Aunt Meg invites her to Riverdale for strawberries and cream, picnics, parties and long sunny days with friends. Grace, meanwhile, plans to spend her whole summer working behind the counter of a hot city bookstore, because she can't afford anything else.   Lying awake after midnight, Bertha makes a quiet decision of her own. What follows is a tender, comforting story about kindness, friendship and the joy of giving something away, with an ending that feels like a warm blanket.   This classic bedtime story for adults is perfect for winding down, easing insomnia and letting a busy mind settle into deep, restful sleep. Calm narration, a soft, unhurried pace and a reassuring ending make it an ideal sleep audiobook for anyone who finds it hard to switch off at night.   If you enjoy L. M. Montgomery, the author of Anne of Green Gables, you'll find more of her short stories on Books at Bedtime, including A Case of Trespass, A Golden Wedding and Uncle Richard's New Year's Dinner.   The Story of an Invitation was first published in 1901 and is collected in Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1896 to 1901. 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 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.

I'm Scared of Losing My Parents — Anxiety About Ageing Parents' Health | Guided Meditation   Anxiety about your parents' health is one of the quietest, heaviest worries there is. It arrives in an unexpected phone call, in an "I'm fine" said a little too quickly, in the sight of their hands on the kitchen table looking older than you remember. And it usually lands late at night, when the house is quiet and you finally stop being the capable one.   This 10-minute guided meditation for anxiety relief is for anyone carrying the fear of losing a parent — the anticipatory grief, the caregiver worry, the exhaustion of booking the appointments and keeping the tone light while quietly falling apart. Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett.   Today's session uses vagus nerve breathing — in for four, out for eight — with a hand at the base of the throat to settle the nervous system, followed by a calm-light visualisation and gentle affirmations for anticipatory grief, ageing parents, and caregiver anxiety. You don't have to carry it alone here.   ⏱️ Time Chapters   * 00:00 – Cold Open: The Fear You Haven't Said Out Loud * 01:04 – Welcome & Finding Your Quiet Place * 01:44 – Vagus Nerve Breathing: In For Four, Out For Eight * 04:05 – Visualisation: The Aura of Calm Light * 05:14 – Gentle Affirmations (First Pass) * 06:58 – You Are Never the Clouds, You Are the Sky * 07:29 – Gentle Affirmations (Second Pass) * 08:21 – Your Three Daily Caring Tips * 09:09 – Gently Coming Back * 09:55 – Anchored & Sharing This Episode * 10:22 – Until Tomorrow — Be Kind   🌿 Today's Gentle Affirmations   See these words in your thoughts as I say them, then repeat them silently or out loud — whatever you choose is perfect just for you.   * I am safe. I am here. There is nothing to fear right now. * I am allowed to be frightened and still be the strong one. * Worrying about those we love is not the same as protecting them. * I cannot grieve for something that has not happened. * I can only lose today by spending it on tomorrow. * Today they are here. Today, so am I. * I am doing enough. * My love for them is bigger than my fear of losing them.   💡 3 Daily Caring Tips   1. Ring them about something ordinary. The garden, the football, the weather — so that not every call is about their health.   2. Write down the one practical thing that is actually within your control this week. And do only that single thing.   3. Tell one other person. A sibling, a friend, anyone — that you are finding this hard, so that you are not the only one who knows.   📱 Take Calming Anxiety With You Anywhere   You have done something kind for yourself today, and you did it in the middle of looking after somebody else. That is not selfish — that is how we last.   If this helped you, download Anchored on iOS. Access over 3,000 searchable, offline-ready audio sessions, sleep stories with Books at Bedtime, and built-in nightlight features for the small hours. 👉 Download Anchored on the App Store Today: https://apps.apple.com   And if you know someone quietly carrying the same worry about their mum or dad, please share this episode with them — they probably haven't told anyone either. If you have a moment, a 30-second rating or review on Apple Podcasts helps another frightened person find this at 2am.   Be gentle with yourself today. You are doing so much better than you realise. To your beautiful soul, in everything you do — 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.

A Case of Trespass by L. M. Montgomery — A Calming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime   Drift off to sleep with A Case of Trespass by L. M. Montgomery, a gentle and warm-hearted short story read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety.   It is a hazy, breathless summer morning, and thirteen-year-old Dan Phillips is trout fishing up the cool green creeks of the pond at Carlton, under birches and willows that shut out the heat. Dan is a freckled, hard-working lad, and selling his catch to the big hotels at Mosquito Lake helps his widowed mother keep their small home together.   But the pond has a new owner. Mr. Walters, the stern factory master, has a reputation for being hard and unforgiving, and when Dan unfolds a four-week-old newspaper at the dinner table, he finds a notice that turns him pale. Anyone found fishing on the pond will be prosecuted. Dan has been fishing there all summer.   His mother's answer is simple: go and tell him the truth. Ignoring his friend Sam French, who swears it will land him in jail, Dan cleans his best trout and walks up the hot white road to face Mr. Walters in his office. What happens there is a quiet, kind story about honesty, courage and how wrong first impressions can be.   This classic bedtime story for adults is perfect for winding down, easing insomnia and letting a busy mind settle into deep, restful sleep. Calm narration, a soft, unhurried pace and a reassuring ending make it an ideal sleep audiobook for anyone who finds it hard to switch off at night.   If you enjoy L. M. Montgomery, the author of Anne of Green Gables, you'll find more of her short stories on Books at Bedtime, including A Golden Wedding and Uncle Richard's New Year's Dinner.   A Case of Trespass was first published in 1897 and is collected in Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1896 to 1901. 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 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.

Loneliness — "Everyone Else Is With Someone Tonight" | 4-7-8 Breathing & The Soothing Touch for Anxiety   Loneliness is not a character flaw. It is not evidence that something is wrong with you. It is a signal — as old and as ordinary as hunger or thirst. Your nervous system evolved in groups, and when it senses distance from the herd it turns up the volume, making you more alert, more watchful, sometimes more anxious. That is not weakness. That is biology doing its job just a little too well. And that signal can be soothed.   This 10-minute guided meditation is for the quiet house, the phone you've checked more times than you'd admit, and that small ache underneath the ribs that isn't quite sadness and isn't quite fear. We use 4-7-8 breathing — but differently tonight: sitting up, eyes soft, one hand resting on your heart. This is the soothing touch, the same touch you would offer a frightened child, and the skin sends it straight to the brain as safety.   Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett. For loneliness at night, feeling alone, social anxiety, isolation, evening overthinking and anyone who needs company in the small hours. You are not doing this alone.   ⏱️ Time Chapters   * 00:00 – The house is quiet * 00:26 – Loneliness is a signal, not a character flaw * 01:19 – Welcome — the next ten minutes are ours * 01:36 – Anchored: no account, no profile, nobody to perform for * 02:19 – 4-7-8 breathing and the soothing touch * 03:16 – The first round together * 04:04 – A second round, warmth spreading * 04:46 – Somebody is here, and that someone is you * 05:13 – Tonight's affirmations * 07:25 – The affirmations, once more * 08:14 – Your three daily caring tips * 09:12 – Coming back gently * 09:55 – Midnight in the supermarket, and goodnight   🌿 Today's Gentle Affirmations   Say these with me. Feel them on your tongue, and let the echo of them become part of all that you are.   * I am safe. I am here. And there is nothing to fear right now. * Being alone tonight is not the same as being unloved. * I am good company. I can keep myself company. * I release the story that I am the only one. * Right now, in this moment, thousands of people are listening to this with me. We are alone together, and that is company. * My loneliness is a signal, not a sentence. It can soften, as it has softened before. * I will reach out to one person tomorrow.   💡 3 Daily Caring Tips   1. **Send one short message.** Reach out tomorrow to someone you've been meaning to contact. No explanation for the silence needed — simply "thinking of you." 2. **Put a heartbeat in the room.** Something with a human voice in it tonight — a radio programme, a podcast, a film you know well — so that the quiet has texture in it. 3. **Book one thing in the diary this week.** Something that puts you in the same room as other people, even if you say nothing to any of them. A class, a cafe, a walk on a busy path.   📱 Take Calming Anxiety With You Anywhere   If tonight helped, find us in Anchored. It's quiet in there, it's private, and it's waiting whenever you need it — no account to make, no profile, no friends list, no followers, nobody to perform for. Because the thing you reach for when you're low should never ask you to explain yourself first. Over 3,000 searchable, offline-ready audio sessions, sleep stories with Books at Bedtime, and built-in nightlight features for the small hours. 👉 [Download Anchored on the App Store Today](https://apps.apple.com)   And if somebody came to mind while you listened — someone whose house is quiet too — send them this episode. That message might be the only voice they hear today. A 30-second rating or review on Apple Podcasts helps another listener find us tonight.   Be gentle with yourself. You're not alone in this. And in everything, my friend — 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.

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.

A Golden Wedding by L.M. Montgomery — A Heartwarming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime   Settle in and drift off to sleep with A Golden Wedding by L.M. Montgomery, the much-loved author of Anne of Green Gables, read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety.   After fifteen years out West, Lovell Stephens walks back through the old apple orchard, whistling, to see the couple who raised him. Aunt Sally and Uncle Tom took him in when he was an orphan of eleven, "just heading for destruction", and gave him a home, his schooling and all the love he ever had.   But the little grey house is boarded up. Uncle Tom is crippled with rheumatism, the mortgage has been called in, the furniture has been sold, and the old couple have gone to the poorhouse. In a fortnight it will be their golden wedding anniversary, fifty years married, and Aunt Sally can't bear the thought of spending it there.   So Lovell quietly buys back the house. With the help of kind Mrs Stetson, he tracks down every chair, clock and piece of pink china, while the women of Blair plan a celebration nobody is allowed to mention.   What follows is a tender, feel-good story about gratitude, kindness repaid and what really counts as riches, in a world that measures everything in money. A gentle, heartwarming bedtime story for adults, perfect for winding down, easing insomnia and settling into deep, peaceful sleep.   Calm narration and a soft, unhurried pace make this classic short story a soothing sleep audiobook for anyone who finds it hard to switch off at night. If you enjoyed Uncle Richard's New Year's Dinner, our last L.M. Montgomery story on Books at Bedtime, you'll love this one too.   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 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.

Sunday Scaries — "I Don't Want Tomorrow to Come" | Box Breathing for Evening Dread & Anticipatory Anxiety   The Sunday Scaries are that late-evening feeling of dread — the anticipatory anxiety that arrives when the light goes amber and a small voice says "I don't want tomorrow to come." Not because tomorrow is terrible, but because the last few days were a shelter, and you can feel the door of it beginning to close. It is one of the most common forms of anxiety there is, and it responds beautifully to what we do together in this session.   In this 10-minute guided meditation we use box breathing — also known as square breathing, used by paramedics, soldiers and surgeons who need a steady hand at the exact moment the body wants to run. Tonight we draw a long, slow box (5-5-5-5) because we are not preparing to act, we are preparing to rest. Then a warm golden light spreads through the body, followed by gentle hypnotherapy affirmations for anxiety relief, deep relaxation and sleep.   Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett. Ideal for Sunday night anxiety, work anxiety, evening overthinking, racing thoughts before bed and anyone who needs help falling asleep without tomorrow sitting on their chest.   ⏱️ Time Chapters   * 00:00 – "I don't want tomorrow to come" * 00:40 – Naming the Sunday Scaries * 01:16 – Welcome and settling in * 01:48 – Box breathing, the long 5-5-5-5 box * 03:48 – Drawing the box in golden light * 04:45 – Letting the breath find its own rhythm * 05:04 – Golden light through the whole body * 05:35 – Tonight's affirmations * 07:11 – Sinking deeper into the trance state * 07:47 – The affirmations, once more * 08:14 – Your three daily caring tips * 09:03 – Coming back gently * 09:35 – Anchored, sharing, and goodnight   🌿 Today's Gentle Affirmations   Say these with me tonight, silently or out loud — but allow them to land.   * I am calm, and I am safe, and I am here. * Tomorrow is not happening yet. Only this breath is happening. * I release this late-night feeling. It is only a thought, and thoughts pass through me. * I put tomorrow down, and I pick it up in the morning rested. * My anxiety is not a warning. It is only a tired nervous system asking to be seen. * I meet the week ahead one hour at a time. * There is nothing to fear right now. In this room, in this moment, I am completely safe.   💡 3 Daily Caring Tips   1. **One line, then let it go.** Before you go to bed, write down the single first thing you will do tomorrow morning — one line only, so your mind can stop rehearsing it in the night. 2. **Put the work phone in another room.** Your work phone or work email goes out of reach until morning. Physically in another room, not just closed. 3. **Give the last hour to something with no outcome.** A bath, a record, a walk to the end of the road and back.   📱 Take Calming Anxiety With You Anywhere   If this helped, come and find it in Anchored — the box breathing is narrated all the way through, and you can build your own patterns, choose your own backing sounds and lighting modes. Download Anchored on iOS for over 3,000 searchable, offline-ready audio sessions, sleep stories with Books at Bedtime, and built-in nightlight features for the small hours. 👉 [Download Anchored on the App Store Today](https://apps.apple.com)   And if you know someone who goes quiet in the evenings — someone who gets that far-away look around six o'clock — please share this episode with them. It costs nothing, and it may be the thing that turns their evening around. A 30-second rating or review on Apple Podcasts helps another anxious listener find us tonight.   So in everything, always — in every word, every thought, every action — 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.