When Expectations Exhaust You: Finding Permission to Rest

Expectations can feel like bricks in a backpack — the ones you pile on yourself, the ones other people stack on you, and even the ones you quietly hand out to others. Eventually, it all gets heavy.

In this episode of Unwritten Chapters, Matthew opens up about how volunteering at the annual Haunting of Falkland — and the fatigue that followed — forced him to take a hard look at the expectations he carries. He also reflects on how a friend out east, meaning to or not, added more weight to his shoulders, creating strain where there should’ve been ease.

This is a conversation about burnout, relationships, and the invisible pressures that keep us running on empty. But it’s also about permission. Permission to be kinder to yourself. Permission to set a boundary. Permission to rest.

Matthew leaves listeners with just one expectation this week: carve out 10 minutes of your day for you — and only you. Because sometimes the bravest thing you can do is stop carrying what was never yours in the first place.

Website: www.authormheneghan.com