Replenish, Protect, Grow: Why wellbeing isn't about doing more
by Marion Hewitt | 11 August 2026
When was the last time someone suggested something else you should do for your wellbeing?
Perhaps it was trying mindfulness, taking more exercise, practising gratitude, or improving your sleep routine. All of these are valid suggestions and supported by good evidence, and they can make a real difference. Organisations too have invested significantly in supporting employee wellbeing through mental health awareness, wellbeing champions and employee assistance programmes, which I believe come from a genuine desire to help people and they have an important place.
Yet despite all this activity, many people still tell me they feel exhausted, stretched and as though they are constantly trying to keep up. It feels like we have unintentionally created another expectation around wellbeing, as if looking after ourselves has become one more thing to fit into an already busy day.
Over the last few years, one of the phrases I use a lot when training is that wellbeing is as much about stopping unhelpful habits as it is adopting new or additional ones. That idea sits at the heart of the Replenish, Protect, Grow framework. While there are certainly actions that help us replenish our resources, protect what matters and create the conditions for growth, some of the most important wellbeing actions are actually about doing less, letting go or changing patterns that drain our energy.
Sometimes the best wellbeing action is to stop
One of the challenges with wellbeing advice is that it naturally focuses on actions we can take. It is much easier to suggest another habit than it is to help someone notice an unhelpful pattern that has gradually become normal. Yet many of the things that undermine our wellbeing are not dramatic events, but the everyday habits, expectations and assumptions that slowly consume our resources without us really noticing.
We answer emails late into the evening because it has become routine, we apologise for saying no when our capacity is already stretched, or we leave our lunch break until there is time, even though there rarely is. We tell ourselves that once this busy period is over we will look after ourselves properly, while knowing that this is unlikely to happen. We compare ourselves with other people, expect ourselves to cope with everything and continue giving more than we have available because we have convinced ourselves that everyone else is managing, when in fact most of us are experiencing similar challenges.
None of these things happen because people do not care about their wellbeing, the difficulty is that over time, these patterns stop feeling like choices and become habits.
This is where I hope Replenish, Protect, Grow offers a slightly different perspective. Rather than beginning with what else should I do, it encourages us to ask when we might need to stop, reduce or change.
Replenish is not always about adding another wellbeing activity. Sometimes replenishment begins by creating enough space for recovery, which might mean not looking at work emails in the evening, or creating limits around screen time or giving ourselves permission to rest without feeling we have to have earned it first.
Protect often asks us to consider what expectations have become unrealistic, what boundaries have disappeared, and which habits are continually taking more from us than they give back. Sometimes protecting our wellbeing is less about becoming stronger and more about recognising that something is no longer sustainable.
Even Grow, which is often associated with learning and development does not need to be about adding more. Some of our greatest growth comes from letting go. This might be letting go of perfectionism, constant comparison, or the belief that we must always be productive to have value. Developing greater self-compassion, accepting ourselves more fully or recognising our strengths often creates more lasting change than simply setting another ambitious goal.
A different conversation for organisations
I think this way of thinking is equally relevant within organisations. Over the last decade, workplace wellbeing has rightly become a much higher priority and there is encouraging evidence that many wellbeing initiatives make a positive difference. Research from Deloitte has shown that investing in mental health support can provide significant benefits for both employees and organisations, while the CIPD continues to highlight the value of wellbeing strategies that are embedded into organisational practice rather than treated as isolated activities.
The question, however, is not whether wellbeing initiatives are worthwhile. It is whether people are being asked to solve problems they cannot solve on their own. If people regularly need wellbeing activities simply to recover from excessive workload, constant interruptions, or poorly managed change, then those underlying conditions deserve attention too. The Job Demands-Resources Model helps explain why by suggesting that wellbeing is influenced not only by the resources people have available but also by the demands placed upon them. Adding more resources is important, but if unnecessary drains remain untouched, people may simply continue replenishing resources that work immediately depletes again.
This is one of the reasons I believe organisations benefit from thinking in terms of Replenish, Protect, Grow rather than viewing wellbeing as a collection of separate initiatives and an ‘add-on’ to wider people and organisational strategy. It encourages a broader conversation around what helps people replenish their resources, and what unnecessary demands or behaviours need protecting against, and how we create the conditions where people can use their strengths, contribute well and continue to grow.
These questions recognise that sustainable wellbeing is not created by one initiative or one awareness week. It develops through the everyday experiences of work as all elements of our work have the potential to replenish or drain us including the quality of leadership, healthy boundaries, supportive relationships, and realistic expectations.
So in line with my earlier comment, wellbeing is not about doing more. It is about doing what matters most to support and enable our wider health and wellbeing. Sometimes that will mean beginning a new habit, learning a new skill or making time for activities that restore us. At other times it will mean stopping something that has become normal but has a detrimental impact on our wellbeing.
As you reflect on your own wellbeing, it may be worth asking yourself not only what you could start doing, but also what you could stop doing. Which expectation, habit or behaviour is taking more from you than it gives back? Which small change would help you to replenish your resources, protect what matters or grow in a way that feels meaningful?
And if you have responsibility for others, perhaps rather than asking what wellbeing initiative might be helpful next, ask what people are continually having to recover from.
Questions to reflect on
For yourself
- What am I doing that supports my wellbeing, and what is quietly undermining it?
- What could I stop, reduce or let go of that would create more space for Replenish, Protect or Grow?
- Which one small change would make the biggest difference over the next few weeks?
If you support others
- What are people continually having to recover from?
- Are we adding wellbeing resources while leaving unnecessary drains untouched?
- What could we stop doing that would make everyday work healthier and more sustainable?
- How might Replenish, Protect and Grow help us think differently about wellbeing?
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. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940710733115
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (2025) Health and wellbeing at work survey 2025. London: CIPD. Available at: https://www.cipd.org/uk/knowledge/reports/health-wellbeing-work/ (Accessed: 11 August 2026).
Deloitte (2024) Mental health and employers: The case for investment – Supporting study 2024. London: Deloitte. Available at: https://www2.deloitte.com/uk/en/pages/consulting/articles/mental-health-and-employers.html (Accessed: 11 August 2026).
Call 07980 513646 or send us an email marionhewitt@proteasolutions.co.uk