I’m Exhausted From Holding It All Together — A 10-Minute Meditation for Anxiety & Overwhelm

Carrying Everyone Else's Feelings? — Guided Meditation for the Quietly Exhausted | Physiological Sigh Breathing

If you're always the one who copes — the reliable one, the one who checks on everyone else and never gets asked back — this guided meditation is for you. For the next ten minutes you don't have to hold anything together.

We'll use the physiological sigh, a simple two-inhale, one-long-exhale breathing pattern, to ease the body down a gear, then a gentle visualisation for setting down the things you've been carrying that were never really yours. When it all gets too much before or after this session, Anchored's Instant Calm is free, offline, and always there: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669

Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett, today's episode leans on a boxes-in-your-arms metaphor — the to-do list, the thing someone said, tomorrow's problems, someone else's feelings you've quietly taken on as your own — and invites you to set just one box down at a time. You are allowed to rest before everything is finished.

⏱️ Time Chapters

* 00:00 – Welcome: when you're always the one who copes

* 00:52 – Anchored's Instant Calm

* 01:19 – Breathing: the physiological sigh

* 02:37 – Visualisation: the boxes you're carrying

* 04:16 – A different sentence: "I can put some of this down"

* 04:49 – Today's Gentle Affirmations

* 07:46 – Three Daily Caring Tips

* 08:32 – Coming back, stretch and open your eyes

* 09:10 – A personal reflection: speaking to yourself with kindness

* 10:16 – Outro & be kind

🌿 Today's Gentle Affirmations

Listen, visualise, and repeat:

I do not have to carry everything right now.

I am allowed to rest before everything is finished.

Someone else's worry does not automatically have to become mine.

I can care about people without carrying them.

I can put some of this down.

I do not have to earn my rest. I am allowed it simply because I am tired.

I have carried enough for today.

💡 3 Daily Caring Tips

1. **Notice what isn't yours** — Notice one thing you're carrying today that was never actually yours to carry.

2. **Protect 10 minutes** — Give yourself 10 minutes today when you don't solve, organise, or improve a single thing.

3. **Try honesty over "I'm fine"** — Next time someone asks if you're okay, try answering honestly instead of saying "I'm fine."

📱 Take Calming Anxiety With You Anywhere

If today is one of those heavy-arms days, 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/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669)

If today's session helped, please share it with a friend, family member, or colleague — and a 30-second rating or review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify helps more people find this when they need it most.

…be kind.

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Music: All music by Chris Collins

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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.