Replenish, Protect, Grow is not a linear model
by Marion Hewitt | 4 June 2026
What changes when we stop seeing wellbeing as a sequence and start seeing it as an interconnected system?
Replenish, Protect, Grow is a practical framework for sustainable wellbeing and explored each of the three elements in turn. Protect is about noticing what drains us and what may need safeguarding. Replenish is about restoring energy, capacity and connection. Grow is about moving beyond coping towards flourishing, thriving, self-acceptance, strengths, purpose and possibility.
Although it can be helpful to explore each element separately, real life is rarely that neat. We do not always protect first, replenish second and grow third. Sometimes the most urgent need is to protect ourselves from something that is draining too much. Sometimes we need to replenish before we can think clearly about what to do next. Sometimes a small act of growth, such as using a strength, practising self-compassion or reconnecting with meaning, can be exactly what helps us protect our wellbeing or restore our energy.
This is why Replenish, Protect, Grow is not a linear model but better understood as a set of connected lenses that help us ask better questions about what is needed now.
This is relevant because wellbeing is not one-dimensional. Research demonstrates that how we feel, function and grow is shaped by multiple interacting factors. Positive psychology highlights the importance of positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment as building blocks of flourishing (Seligman, 2011). Self-determination theory emphasises the role of autonomy, competence and relatedness in supporting motivation and wellbeing (Deci and Ryan, 2000). Recovery research shows that people need opportunities to psychologically detach from work and restore depleted resources (Sonnentag and Fritz, 2007). Work design research also reminds us that job demands, resources, autonomy, support and workload all influence strain, engagement and performance (Bakker and Demerouti, 2007).
Sustainable wellbeing is not created through one action, one habit or one initiative. It is created through the interaction between what we protect, how we replenish and the ways we grow.
Why an interconnected wellbeing framework can start anywhere
One of the reasons I hope this framework will be practical and useable is that it allows people to start where they are.
For someone who is overwhelmed, the first step may be Protect. They may need to reduce pressure, set a boundary, ask for support, or clarify expectations. Without some form of protection any attempt to replenish may only offer short-term relief.
For someone who is depleted they may not have the energy to make decisions, hold boundaries or think about growth, so replenishment is needed. They may need rest, connection, support or time away from constant demands before anything else. This is consistent with recovery research which suggests that people need to restore depleted resources after periods of effort and strain (Meijman and Mulder, 1998; Sonnentag and Fritz, 2007).
For someone who feels stuck, has no sense of purpose or lacking confidence, the first step may be Grow. This might involve reconnecting with a strength, practising self-compassion, learning something new, or rebuilding confidence. Growth does not always require big change and sometimes it begins with a kinder internal narrative or a clearer sense of what we value.
The point is that the framework does not prescribe one route but asks you to consider what is most needed and some strategies may support more than one element.
How Protect supports Replenish and Grow
Protect is often the element that creates space for the others. If our energy is continually being drained by unclear expectations, overcommitment, self-criticism or unsustainable workload, then replenishment becomes harder. We may rest briefly but then return to the same pressures we quickly become depleted again.
Protect asks us to notice what is taking too much from us and what may need to change. That might mean protecting time, sleep, values, relationships or health. It might mean asking for clarity, saying no, reducing unnecessary commitments or recognising that something is not sustainable.
At work, Protect has a strong organisational dimension. It involves looking at whether workload, role clarity, manager support, psychological safety, fairness and culture are supporting wellbeing or undermining it. The CIPD’s Good Work Index 2025 highlights the relationship between excessive workloads, stress, exhaustion and poorer mental and physical health, reinforcing the importance of looking at the conditions of work rather than relying only on individual coping strategies (CIPD, 2025).
Protect also supports growth. When we reduce some of the avoidable drains on our resources we may have more capacity for learning, confidence, creativity, purpose and contribution. Without protection growth can easily become another demand. With enough protection growth can become a more realistic and energising possibility.
How Replenish supports Protect and Grow
Replenish restores the resources we need to make good choices.
When we are depleted everything can feel harder. We may find it more difficult to think clearly, regulate emotions, communicate well, make decisions or set boundaries. We may know that something needs to change but not have the energy to act on it which goes back to the phrase I refer to many times, that ‘everyone does the best they can with the resources they have available.
This is where replenishment supports protection. When we are more rested, connected and resourced, we are better able to notice what is happening and take protective action. A boundary that feels impossible when we are exhausted may feel more manageable once we have had space to recover. A conversation that feels overwhelming when we are depleted may feel more possible when we have regained some capacity.
Replenishment also supports growth. The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions suggests that positive emotions can widen our thinking and help build longer-term resources, including social, psychological and cognitive resources (Fredrickson, 2001). This does not mean we should force positivity or ignore difficulty but that experiences which restore energy, connection, enjoyment or perspective can help create more capacity for learning, creativity and possibility.
In real life, replenishment might be physical, mental, emotional or social. It might involve sleep, movement, time outside, laughter, friendship, quiet, creativity, meaningful conversation, or simply doing less for a while. It is not whether an activity looks like self-care from the outside but whether it genuinely helps restore capacity.
At work replenishment is influenced by the rhythm and culture of work. Breaks, recovery after intense periods, manageable workloads, supportive relationships and realistic expectations are important. If people are expected to move from one demand to the next without pause, recovery becomes difficult. Sustainable performance depends on people having opportunities to restore energy, focus and perspective.
How Grow supports Protect and Replenish
Grow is sometimes seen as what happens after we have protected and replenished our resources and there is truth in that. When we are less depleted we are often more able to reflect, learn, use our strengths, build confidence and move towards what matters.
However, Grow also supports Protect and Replenish. When we develop greater self-awareness we may become better at noticing what drains us and what matters most. When we build confidence, we may be more able to set boundaries, speak honestly or ask for support. When we practise self-compassion, we may become less likely to keep pushing ourselves harshly through difficulty and more able to respond to our needs with care.
Neff (2003) identifies self-compassion as involving self-kindness, common humanity and mindfulness and has been found that practising self-compassion lowers levels of distress and increases resilience (Neff, 2023). This matters because a kinder relationship with ourselves can be both protective and replenishing because it can protect us from the draining effects of harsh self-criticism and replenish us by creating more emotional safety.
Strengths and meaning can also have a replenishing effect. When people use their strengths, feel connected to purpose or experience meaningful contribution, they feel more energised and engaged. This connects with positive psychology and the PERMA model, which identifies positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment as important elements of flourishing (Seligman, 2011).
At work, Grow can support Protect and Replenish through culture. A workplace where people feel trusted, able to use their strengths, psychologically safe and able to contribute is more likely to support healthy conversations about workload, boundaries and support. Psychological safety, for example, is associated with people feeling able to speak up, ask questions and raise concerns without fear of humiliation or punishment (Edmondson, 1999). That makes it relevant not only to learning and performance, but also to protecting wellbeing.
Using the interconnected framework in real life
For individuals, the non-linear nature of Protect, Replenish, Grow can be reassuring as it means there is no perfect place to start. We do not need to overhaul everything, we can ask what needs attention now. The three elements can also be used as a reflective check-in, for example if we are feeling low, stuck or depleted, we might ask whether we are trying to grow without replenishing, replenish without protecting, or protect ourselves in a way that has become so defensive that it leaves little room for growth.
Questions to bring the framework together
To use Replenish, Protect,Grow as an interconnected framework, you might start by asking yourself:
- Which part of the framework needs most attention right now?
- What is draining me that may need protecting?
- What would help restore my energy, capacity or connection?
- What would help me move forward in a way that feels kind, realistic and meaningful?
And if you have responsibility for others, you might also ask:
- Where are people being asked to absorb avoidable strain?
- What makes recovery difficult in this team or organisation?
- What helps people feel trusted, valued and able to contribute?
- Which part of the framework are we currently neglecting?
Replenish, Protect, Grow is not a linear model because wellbeing is not linear. It changes with our circumstances, resources, relationships, work and inner world. Sometimes we need to protect. Sometimes we need to replenish. Sometimes we need to grow. Often, we need all three working together.
Sustainable wellbeing is not about doing everything at once. It is about asking better questions, noticing what is needed and creating the conditions, personally and organisationally, for people to move beyond coping towards greater energy, purpose, contribution and possibility.
#SustainableWellbeing #WorkplaceWellbeing #WellbeingStrategy #PositivePsychology #ProtectReplenishGrow
References
Bakker, A.B. and Demerouti, E. (2007) ‘The job demands-resources model: state of the art’, Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(3), pp. 309–328.
CIPD (2025) Good Work Index 2025. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
Deci, E.L. and Ryan, R.M. (2000) ‘The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: human needs and the self-determination of behavior’, Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), pp. 227–268.
Edmondson, A. (1999) ‘Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams’, Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), pp. 350–383.
Fredrickson, B.L. (2001) ‘The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions’, American Psychologist, 56(3), pp. 218–226.
Meijman, T.F. and Mulder, G. (1998) ‘Psychological aspects of workload’, in Drenth, P.J.D., Thierry, H. and de Wolff, C.J. (eds.) Handbook of Work and Organizational Psychology. 2nd edn. Hove: Psychology Press, pp. 5–33.
Neff, K.D. (2003) ‘Development and validation of a scale to measure self-compassion’, Self and Identity, 2(3), pp. 223–250.
Neff, K.D. (2023) ‘Self-compassion: theory, method, research, and intervention’, Annual Review of Psychology, 74, pp. 193–218.
Seligman, M.E.P. (2011) Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being. New York: Free Press.
Sonnentag, S. and Fritz, C. (2007) ‘The Recovery Experience Questionnaire: development and validation of a measure for assessing recuperation and unwinding from work’, Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 12(3), pp. 204–221.
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