Follow your favourite podcasts, listen offline and in the car with CarPlay and Android Auto, and always pick up where you left off. Free to try.
What If Thoughts Won't Stop — Calm for Waiting, Uncertainty & Anticipatory Anxiety | Humming Bee Breath
What if thoughts won't stop when you are waiting on news, waiting on a decision, waiting on a door you cannot see behind. This 10 minute guided meditation is for anticipatory anxiety — the exhausting habit of rehearsing a problem that has not happened yet. Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett.
Today's breathwork is the Humming Bee Breath, known in yoga as Bhramari. Humming does two things at once: it makes your out breath long and even without you counting anything, and the vibration travels up through the soft palate, throat and the bones of the skull, along the path of the vagus nerve. It is a signal your nervous system finds very difficult to argue with — because you cannot hum and brace at the same time. In through the nose for four, then a low soft hum all the way out for eight.
You do not need to see the whole road. On a long drive at night your headlights show you twenty metres of it, and you arrive every single time. Uncertainty, worry about the future, "what if" thinking, panic and overthinking — we are not going to solve any of it today. We are going to sit down beside it and find out that you can breathe here after all.
⏱️ Time Chapters
* 00:00 – The problem that hasn't happened yet
* 01:06 – Welcome, and how to settle for this one
* 01:57 – Today's breath: Humming Bee Breath (Bhramari) and the vagus nerve
* 02:58 – Guided practice: in for four, hum out for eight
* 05:28 – The silence the humming leaves behind
* 05:50 – Today's gentle affirmations
* 07:26 – Setting the heavy bag down
* 07:57 – Your three daily caring tips
* 08:45 – A gentle return and a stretch
* 09:24 – Anchored, sharing this episode, and be kind
🌿 Today's Gentle Affirmations
Words to carry with you through the day — the words that entwine themselves into the fabric of your soul.
* I can live with uncertainty, and I am doing it right now.
* My anxiety about the future is not a prediction.
* What if thoughts pass through me — they are not me.
* I do not need to know what happens next in order to be all right today.
* I only need to see the next 20 metres of the road in front.
* I release what I cannot control, and the weight leaves my shoulders.
* I have coped with things I once dreaded, and I coped better than I imagined.
* I am safe. I am here. There is nothing to fear right now.
💡 3 Daily Caring Tips
1. Name it out loud — When a "what if" thought arrives today, name it out loud. Say "that is a what if", and let it carry on past you.
2. Do the one part you can influence — Write down the one part of this situation you can actually influence, and do only that today.
3. Give your worry an appointment — Give your worry a 10 minute appointment this evening, and when it turns up early, tell it kindly that it has a time.
📱 Take Calming Anxiety With You Anywhere
If this one helped you, put Anchored on your home screen tonight — so that tomorrow, when the what ifs start, it's one tap away and not a surge. 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 there's someone you know who is waiting on news, or standing in front of a door they cannot see behind, please send them this episode. That's how this show found 10 million downloads — not advertising, just people quietly passing it on. If you have 30 seconds, a rating or review on Apple Podcasts helps someone else find us tonight.
You don't have to see the whole road. So in everything, in every thought, word and deed — 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.
