Occupational burnout has escalated into a pervasive workforce crisis across educational institutions and human service sectors, where professionals consistently navigate intense emotional labour, complex interpersonal demands, and resource-constrained working environments. In response to mounting professional exhaustion and attrition, self-compassion and psychological resilience have emerged as vital intrapsychic protective resources. This systematic literature review synthesizes recent empirical evidence (2020–2025) examining the relationships, mediating mechanisms, and protective capacities of self-compassion and psychological resilience against occupational burnout among educators, healthcare workers, and helping professionals. Guided by the PRISMA 2020 statement and the SPIDER evidence synthesis framework, comprehensive systematic searches were executed across Scopus and Web of Science. Following screening against predefined eligibility criteria and quality appraisal across six methodological dimensions, 14 peer-reviewed empirical studies were selected for qualitative and thematic synthesis. The synthesized evidence confirms that self-compassion and resilience function as robust personal resources that significantly attenuate emotional exhaustion and depersonalization while bolstering professional efficacy. Three central thematic clusters were identified: (1) intervention efficacy of structured mindfulness- and compassion-based resilience programs, (2) cognitive-affective mediating pathways (specifically basic psychological need satisfaction and coping self-efficacy), and (3) contextual moderators and treatment heterogeneity, where baseline professional cynicism and adherence govern intervention outcomes. Intrapsychic coping resources substantially disrupt burnout trajectories; however, individual-level self-compassion cannot serve as a panacea for toxic workplace conditions. Sustainable workforce wellbeing necessitates a dual-level approach integrating individual resilience cultivation with systemic organizational reforms
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