Episode Details

Is your heart racing? Are you wondering if it’s a panic attack or a heart attack? In today’s episode of Calming Anxiety, we dive deep into the physiological response of a racing heart due to anxiety. Hosted by Martin Hewlett, a clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic, this session provides professional insight into why your body triggers the fight or flight response and how to signal to your nervous system that you are safe.If you frequently experience sudden chest tightness, palpitations in your throat, or health anxiety regarding your heart health, this 10-minute guided relaxation and breathing exercise is designed for you. Learn the difference between a medical emergency and an anxiety-driven surge of adrenaline from someone who has seen both on the front lines.What You Will Learn:

• How to differentiate anxiety symptoms from cardiac emergencies.
  
• The role of the parasympathetic nervous system in calming a pounding heart.
  
• A guided box breathing technique to lower your heart rate instantly.
  
• How adrenaline affects your blood vessels and lungs during stress.
  

Time Chapters

• 00:00 – Emergency Screening: Vital signs of a cardiac event vs. anxiety.
  
• 01:04 – Introduction: Meet Martin Hewlett, former paramedic and hypnotherapist.
  
• 01:56 – Guided Breathing: Using the extended out-breath to signal safety.
  
• 03:38 – The Science of Adrenaline: Why your heart races when you aren't in danger.
  
• 05:12 – Visualization: The "Control Room" technique for nervous system regulation.
  
• 07:18 – Affirmations: Rewiring your internal dialogue about heart health.
  
• 08:32 – 3 Daily Caring Tips: Practical tools for managing heart rate anxiety.
  
• 10:05 – Closing Thoughts: Embracing your body's natural responses.
  

Heart-Centered AffirmationsRepeat these internally to ground your nervous system:

• "My heart is strong and it is working exactly as it should".
  
• "A racing heart is not proof of danger; it is proof that I am alive and responding".
  
• "I know the difference between anxiety and emergency. Anxiety does not require a rescue".
  
• "I trust my body to regulate; I trust my breath to lead me home".
  

3 Daily Caring Tips

1. Establish Your Baseline: Take your resting heart rate on a calm morning to provide a factual reference point for when anxiety spikes.
   
2. The Physiological Sigh: Use the "double inhale" (two sips of air through the nose) followed by a long, slow exhale to mechanically reset your stress levels.
   
3. Break the Freeze: Anxiety thrives in stillness. If your heart races, stand up and take three slow, deliberate steps to tell your brain you are not in a "life or death" freeze state.
   

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