Protecting wellbeing: why sustainable wellbeing starts with noticing what drains us
by Marion Hewitt | 4 June 2026
Are you protecting your wellbeing or simply pushing through?
In the first blog in this series, I introduced Replenish, Protect, Grow as a practical framework for sustainable wellbeing. It is a way of thinking about what helps us stay well, work well and live well over time, both as individuals and within organisations. The first part of the framework is Protect, which is about protecting wellbeing by noticing what matters, what is draining us, and what may need safeguarding if we are to keep going in a way that is healthy and sustainable.
At first, Protect can sound quite defensive, but that is not how I see it. Protect is not about avoiding life, work or responsibility. There is a difference between purposeful challenge and ongoing pressure that gradually wears us down, and between being committed and conscientious and continually giving more than we have available.
Noticing what is taking too much
Part of the difficulty is that many of us do not notice this straight away. We keep going because that is what we have always done, because people are relying on us, or because stopping feels hard. We may notice that we are more tired, more irritable, less patient or less able to concentrate, but still tell ourselves that things will settle down soon. In my experience, we rarely get to that place of calm with time to do all those things we tell ourselves we will do “when we have time”. So within the Replenish, Protect, Grow framework, Protect is the part of wellbeing that asks us to pause and pay attention in a proactive way before we reach the point of exhaustion or crisis.
For individuals, Protect might mean noticing where our energy is leaking away. This may be through constant availability that means we never fully switch off, the habit of saying yes before checking what is realistic, or the self-criticism that becomes an inner narrative we learn to live with. It might be unclear boundaries, too little rest, or the steady accumulation of small pressures that individually are manageable but collectively become too much. Protect can also be about values, because sometimes what drains us is not only the volume of what we are doing, but the feeling that we are not focusing on what matters or operating in line with our values.
Protecting personal wellbeing
In a world where it can feel as if “everyone else is coping”, it can be hard to acknowledge the need to take protective action. It can feel uncomfortable to admit that something is too much, especially when we believe we should be able to cope. However, protecting our personal wellbeing is not a sign of weakness. It is the route to being able to do more and part of responsible self-awareness.
A useful starting question might be, “What am I currently doing that is taking more from me than is helpful?” The answer might be practical, such as a pattern of late working, too many commitments, poor sleep habits or a lack of breaks. It might be relational, such as a difficult dynamic, unclear expectations or feeling unable to say no. It might be internal, such as perfectionism, comparison, guilt or the pressure to be endlessly productive. Protecting our wellbeing is not about making multiple changes at once. It is about setting out realistic and practical strategies, and often the first step is simply becoming aware of what is happening. Once we can see what is draining us, we have more chance of making a different choice, asking for support, setting a boundary or changing one small pattern.
Protecting wellbeing at work
This matters in workplace wellbeing too. Work will always involve challenge, deadlines, competing demands and periods of pressure, and the aim is not to remove all difficulty. However, organisations do need to pay attention to the difference between healthy stretch and avoidable strain. In workplace wellbeing, Protect is about looking at the conditions that may be increasing pressure unnecessarily, such as excessive workload, unclear priorities, poorly managed change, low autonomy, lack of psychological safety, inconsistent management, conflict, unfairness, bullying, or managers who are expected to support others without enough support themselves.
For leaders and HR teams, this does not mean accepting responsibility for everything that affects people’s wellbeing. Life outside work matters too, and organisations cannot remove every pressure. Sustainable wellbeing recognises both individual capacity and the wider conditions that shape how people feel, work and grow.
Protecting wellbeing at work may involve reviewing workload, clarifying priorities, improving manager capability, addressing harmful behaviours, or looking at how change is communicated and implemented. It may also involve small everyday habits, such as making meetings more purposeful, protecting breaks, setting clearer expectations around availability, or noticing when someone’s usual way of working has changed. None of this has to be dramatic to be meaningful, and often wellbeing is shaped by repeated small signals.
Taking protective action
For individuals, Protect might begin with one more honest conversation about availability and capacity, one clearer boundary, one realistic adjustment, or one decision not to ignore warning signs. For organisations, it might begin with asking what people are being expected to absorb and whether some of that pressure could be reduced, redesigned or better supported. This does not mean that preventative and protective actions are always comfortable. Boundaries can feel awkward if we are not used to setting them, saying no can feel unhelpful, and challenging unhealthy patterns at work can feel tough, especially when those patterns have become normal. If we do not take action to Protect ourselves, we keep adapting in ways that are steadily depleting us.
Protect is a reminder that wellbeing is not only about adding more positive activities. Often, actions for wellbeing are about the unhelpful strategies we can stop. It may be about reducing what is causing harm, and sometimes the most helpful wellbeing action is not another initiative but a clearer expectation, a better workload decision or permission to stop pretending everything is fine.
Questions to help with protecting wellbeing
Within the Replenish, Protect, Grow framework, Protect creates the conditions for the other two elements. If we do not protect what matters, we may keep replenishing only to become depleted again. If we do not reduce avoidable drains, growth can become another pressure rather than a genuine possibility. Protect helps us notice what is taking too much from our physical, mental or social resources, recognise where change may be needed and move from simply coping towards a more sustainable way of living and working.
To action the Protect part of the Replenish, Protect, Grow framework, start by asking yourself:
- What is draining my energy at the moment?
- What am I tolerating that may not be sustainable?
- Where do I need a clearer boundary, more support or a more honest conversation?
- What matters most that I need to protect?
And if you have responsibility for others, you might also ask:
- What pressures are people being expected to absorb?
- Where might workload, culture or expectations be undermining wellbeing?
- What could we change earlier, before people reach crisis point?
- What would help people feel safer to speak honestly about capacity and support?
Protect is not about stepping away from life or work. It is about protecting the capacity to engage with both more sustainably. Sometimes the most important wellbeing question is not “What else should I be doing?” but “What do I need to stop, reduce, change or protect so that I can keep going well?
#SustainableWellbeing #ProtectingWellbeing #WorkplaceWellbeing #PersonalWellbeing #ProtectReplenishGrow
Call 07980 513646 or send us an email marionhewitt@proteasolutions.co.uk