Using HP (or equivalent) as spendable resource in survival setting

Obligatory background: I'm an amateur designing for friends. I haven't tested this yet, am planning to. Looking for your feedback as experienced designers.

Hey all!

I’m designing a game named "From Rust We Came", where survival and social encounters matter as much as combat, and I’m trying to make HP feel less like something you must always keep topped off and more like a spendable resource.

Instead of HP, characters have two pools of stamina. Not EVERY action costs stamina, only certain special ones.

1. Endurance (END): Physical stamina. Lost or spent on things like sprinting, climbing, violence, etc.
2. Willpower (WIL): Mental stamina. Lost or spent through things like fear, stress, intimidation, etc.

There’s also a Push mechanic. You can trade stamina for performance, for example spend 2 END/WIL to gain "advantage" (I'll spare you the details) on an action.

Damage and consequences
You don’t die at 0 END or WIL, although you do pass out. Instead, running out of stamina makes you unable to defend yourself effectively against wounds.

Wounds are tied to the END and WIL system and only turn on when you take significant stamina damage in a single hit. I designed it so normal actions should never cost enough stamina to cross that threshold. Only intense circumstances should cause wounds.

Attrition
There is a survival element to my game, so my idea is that during an expedition (inbetween safe settlements), it will be hard to fully restore their stamina pools. Slowly but surely, pressure would build up as they see their pools deplete. Towns will serve as a recharge point.

My questions

1. Has anyone played or run games where HP, or an equivalent, is treated as a resource you are expected to spend outside combat, like in social, survival, or exploration? How did it feel at the table?
2. I’m worried players will treat END and WIL like renamed HP and get overly cautious, avoiding cool actions because they do not want to spend it. Any advice on preventing that behavior?
3. Any suggestion on how much stamina should recover between scenes or sessions for this to feel spendable rather than precious?