Mental Reset Suite

Two linked protocols for the two most common mental health problems in post-white-collar survival: burnout and broken sleep. They feed each other — burnout destroys sleep, broken sleep accelerates burnout. Fix them together.

Module A is the flagship burnout protocol based on the Maslach Burnout Inventory framework. Module B is the evidence-based sleep overhaul. Both include agent-driven assessments, tracking, and automation triggers.

Sources & Verification

Burnout:

• - Maslach Burnout Inventory: Maslach, C. & Jackson, S.E., Maslach Burnout Inventory Manual, 4th ed., Mind Garden, 2016
• Three dimensions of burnout: Maslach, C. & Leiter, M.P., The Truth About Burnout, Jossey-Bass, 1997
• Exercise as burnout intervention: Gerber et al., BMC Research Notes, 2013 (DOI: 10.1186/1756-0500-6-78)
• Lack of control as burnout predictor: Karasek, R., Administrative Science Quarterly, 1979
• Burnout and depression comorbidity: Bianchi et al., Clinical Psychology Review, 2015
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 988lifeline.org — verified active March 2026
• Open Path Collective: openpathcollective.org — verified active March 2026
• NAMI Helpline: 1-800-950-NAMI — verified active March 2026

Sleep:

• - Walker, M., Why We Sleep, Scribner, 2017
• American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) Clinical Practice Guidelines for Insomnia. aasm.org
• Edinger et al., "CBT for adults with insomnia," Sleep, 2021 (DOI: 10.5664/jsl.8558) — CBT-I outperforms sleep medication long-term
• Czeisler, C.A., "Duration, timing and quality of sleep," Sleep Health, 2015 — consistent wake time as the strongest single lever
• Chang et al., "Evening use of light-emitting eReaders negatively affects sleep," PNAS, 2015 (DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1418490112) — blue light suppresses melatonin
• Drake et al., "Caffeine effects on sleep," Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2013 — caffeine 6 hours before bed cuts sleep by 1 hour
• National Sleep Foundation: sleepfoundation.org — verified active March 2026
• Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine (CBT-I providers): behavioralsleep.org

When to Use

Module A (Burnout) — use when:

• - User says they're burned out, exhausted, or "running on empty"
• Can't stop thinking about work at night
• Feels cynical, detached, or like nothing they do matters
• Dreads Monday starting from Sunday morning
• Physical symptoms: insomnia, headaches, constant fatigue

Module B (Sleep) — use when:

• - Takes more than 30 minutes to fall asleep most nights
• Wakes multiple times during the night
• Wakes feeling unrefreshed even after 7-8 hours
• Relies on caffeine or willpower to function in the morning
• Wants to reduce reliance on melatonin, alcohol, or sleep aids
• Experiencing regular Sunday-night insomnia

Both together — use when:

• - Burnout and sleep problems are clearly feeding each other
• User has tried one protocol and hasn't improved
• Starting fresh after a major breakdown or health crisis

MODULE A: BURNOUT RECOVERY

Instructions

Step 1: Identify burnout stage

Agent action: Administer the assessment interactively — ask each question one at a time, record the score, and calculate totals. Store the scores and burnout stage in agent state.

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Step 2: Emergency stabilization (Week 1)

Do NOT try to fix everything at once. This week is about stopping the bleeding.

Agent action: Set daily evening reminders for the screen cutoff time. Create a "Week 1 Priorities" note with only the user's top 3 must-do items. Schedule a check-in for end of Week 1.

Sleep protocol:

• - Set a hard stop on screens at 10pm
• No work email after 7pm — delete the app from your phone if you have to
• If you can't sleep, write down every thought for 10 minutes, then close the notebook

The "absolute minimum" exercise:

• - Identify the 3 things at work that MUST happen this week
• Everything else gets pushed, delegated, or dropped
• Write this and tape it to your monitor: "Good enough is good enough this week."

One recovery activity per day:

• - Walk outside for 20 minutes (slow walk, not a power walk)
• Call one person you actually like talking to
• Do one thing that has nothing to do with productivity

Step 3: Boundary installation (Weeks 2-3)

Agent action: Help the user customize each script below with their specific names, times, and situations. Save customized scripts to ~/documents/burnout-recovery/boundary-scripts.txt. Track which boundaries have been set and enforced.

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Step 4: Energy audit (Week 3-4)

Track every activity for one work week. Mark each as:

• - E = Energizing (you feel better after)
• N = Neutral
• D = Draining (you feel worse after)

Agent action: Send a daily prompt at end of workday asking the user to rate their activities. Compile the week's data. Identify the top 3 drains and top 3 energizers.

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Step 5: Rebuild meaning (Month 2+)

Agent action: Guide the user through these reflection questions over several sessions. Record their answers and surface them during low moments.

Ask yourself:

1. 1. "If money weren't an issue, what would I still want to do?"
2. "What was I doing the last time I felt genuinely proud of my work?"
3. "What part of my work actually helps someone?"

The goal isn't to love every minute. It's to have enough meaning to offset the hard parts.

Step 6: Decide if the situation can change

After 4-6 weeks of active recovery, ask honestly:

• - Are the conditions that caused burnout fixable?
• Is the organization willing to change?
• Have your boundaries been respected?

If no on 2+ of those: this isn't a recovery problem, it's an environment problem. Start planning your exit. See the layoff-72-hours and career-reinvention skills.

Burnout: If This Fails

1. 1. Symptoms worsening after 4-6 weeks: Burnout can coexist with clinical depression. Contact your primary care doctor. Many employers offer free EAP sessions — ask HR.
2. Can't afford therapy: Open Path Collective (openpathcollective.org) offers sessions for $30-80. NAMI Helpline: 1-800-950-NAMI for free peer support.
3. Boundaries not respected: Document the pattern (dates, requests, responses). This documentation is valuable for escalating to HR or building a case for medical leave.
4. Considering quitting with nothing lined up: See the layoff-72-hours skill for financial stabilization first. Build 3+ months of runway before the leap.
5. Having dark thoughts: Call or text 988. Burnout can push you to a breaking point — this is a medical situation, not a character flaw.

MODULE B: SLEEP OVERHAUL

Instructions

Step 1: Sleep audit

Agent action: Ask the user each question below, one at a time. Record answers in agent state. Use the results to generate a personalized protocol.

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Step 2: Set your sleep anchor (do this first, everything else second)

The single most powerful intervention is a consistent wake time — 7 days a week, including weekends.

Agent action: Ask "What time must you be awake for work or responsibilities?" Set a daily morning reminder at that time. Track wake time adherence in state.

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Step 3: Build a 30-minute wind-down ritual

Agent action: Help the user build their specific ritual from the options below. Set a daily reminder 35 minutes before their target bedtime.

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Step 4: Caffeine cutoff calculator

Caffeine has a half-life of 5-7 hours. To have less than 25% caffeine remaining at bedtime, your last caffeine = bedtime minus 12 hours.

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Step 5: Optimize the sleep environment

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Step 6: Two-week check-in

Agent action: After 14 days, re-administer the sleep audit. Compare to baseline.

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Sleep: If This Fails

1. 1. Waking unrefreshed no matter what: Ask your doctor about a home sleep study for sleep apnea. This skill cannot address sleep apnea.
2. Can't stop racing thoughts at night: This is anxiety driving sleep problems. See the anxiety-emergency skill. Also consider CBT-I.
3. Using alcohol to sleep: Alcohol suppresses REM sleep in the second half of the night. You'll fall asleep faster and wake up exhausted. Expect 2-3 nights of worse sleep when removing it.
4. Tried everything and still struggling: Ask your doctor about CBT-I. The American College of Physicians recommends it as first-line treatment over medication. Find a provider at behavioralsleep.org.

Rules

• - Never tell someone to "just push through" burnout — it gets worse without intervention
• Always assess burnout severity first — severe cases may need professional support
• Focus on one step at a time, not the whole protocol at once
• Burnout is not a personal failure — it's a response to sustained impossible conditions
• Never recommend prescription sleep medication — this protocol is behavioral
• Always flag waking-unrefreshed + snoring as a potential medical issue
• Set the expectation upfront: sleep improvement takes 7-14 days

Tips

Burnout:

• - The biggest predictor of burnout isn't workload — it's lack of control. Focus on what the user CAN control.
• Recovery is not linear. Bad days during recovery are normal.
• Physical exercise is the single most effective burnout intervention. Even a 15-min walk counts.

Sleep:

• - The most impactful change for most people is wake-time consistency, not bedtime.
• Warm showers work because the body temperature DROP afterward triggers sleep onset, not the warmth.
• Weekend "sleep ins" of even 90 minutes shift your circadian rhythm by the equivalent of mild jet lag.
• Blue light from screens suppresses melatonin for 1-3 hours. The issue is the wavelength, not just brightness.

Agent State

Persist across sessions:

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Automation Triggers

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