The Overlooked Key to a Strong Mindset — Lessons from Bear Grylls’ Survival School

This blog post is also available in the form of a podcast episode that you can listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or by searching for Season 3, Episode 18 of The Inner Glow Podcast on your favourite platform. Or, if you prefer, continue reading here.

Recently I found myself completely drawn into a programme I hadn’t expected to watch. Kyle, my partner, put it on YouTube one evening. It just popped up on the main page, and we thought we’d give it a go. We ended up watching five episodes back-to-back because it was so powerful, so moving, and so much more than I anticipated.

The programme is called Bear Grylls’ Survival School. A group of children, aged roughly 12 to 16, from different parts of the UK, are chosen to spend two weeks in Snowdonia in North Wales. The very first thing they have to do is hand over their phones, tablets, and laptops. No electronics. No contact with the outside world. Just themselves, their backpacks, and each other.

And then the adventure begins.

Struggling, learning, and changing

From the first day, they are pushed into challenges that would test most adults: climbing a freezing waterfall, abseiling down sheer cliffs, venturing into abandoned mines, leaping into the dark, foraging for food, building shelters in the pouring rain. They even had to eat some of Bear’s trademark “delicacies” such as insects, roots, and things that make you squirm just watching them.

And remember, these are not seasoned young adventurers. They are ordinary kids. Some shy, some glued to their phones, some terrified of heights or water. Many of them arrived carrying personal struggles such as low confidence, family challenges or grief.

At the start, it was messy. They argued, they hesitated, they froze. They didn’t trust each other or themselves. In those first under-pressure moments, you could see panic in their eyes. But just a few days later, when another difficult situation arrived, they handled it so differently. They breathed. They steadied one another. They kept going even when their bodies and minds wanted to give up. Their resilience grew, day by day, right in front of the cameras.

One episode in particular has stayed with me…

The children were faced with a rope stretched across what looked like a flooded quarry. To cross, Bear taught them an alpine technique: you hang underneath the rope, gripping with your hands, one leg hooked over the rope for support, the other dangling down for balance. It is exhausting, and if you slip, you plunge straight into the freezing water.

Bear said to the camera, “This is a very difficult challenge. Most of them won’t make it all the way across. What matters is how they handle falling, and whether they can get back up.”

Many of the children did fall. Some splashed in and climbed back up shivering. Some gave up halfway. But one boy stood out. He had been born with a serious back condition and had undergone several surgeries growing up. He was determined to prove he was just as capable as anyone else.

He was doing well across the rope when, halfway, he made the decision to deliberately let himself drop, just so he could test whether he could pull himself back up.

And he did. With immense effort, grit, and determination, he swung his leg back, used his arms, and clawed his way back onto the rope. Watching him do that was incredibly inspiring. He didn’t need to create that extra challenge for himself, but he wanted to prove to himself that he was strong. Can you imagine the confidence boost of not just completing the exercise but choosing to face it at an even harder level?

Moments like this made me realise that Survival School isn’t just a TV programme. It is a rite of passage. These children entered as kids who had been cushioned by comfort, by technology, by modern life. They came out with resilience, courage, and a deeper sense of who they were.

Bear Grylls’ philosophy

This is exactly where Bear Grylls’ philosophy comes through.

On the surface, he looks like the ultimate success story: climbing Everest, hosting hit TV shows, writing bestselling books, meeting world leaders. But he will be the first to say that none of this came without failure.

When he was young, he wanted to join the British Special Forces. He tried and failed. He got injured. He was rejected. Later he broke his back in a parachuting accident. Doctors told him he might never walk again. Two years later, against the odds, he climbed Everest. That is the story we hear, but behind that were countless rejections, mistakes, accidents and pain.

Even in his career afterwards, not every expedition went smoothly. Missions failed. Plans fell apart. Equipment broke. He was cold, exhausted, embarrassed, terrified. And yet he kept going.

This is his message: failure is everything. Success is built on top of the failures. The difference between those who succeed and those who don’t is not about avoiding failure but being willing to keep trying.

What this means for us

It made me reflect on how often we chase perfection in our own lives. We want to meditate every day, say our affirmations, keep our vision boards neat, stay positive, do self-care in the right way. And when we stumble, when we get rejected, when we feel low, we call it failure and tell ourselves we are not cut out for it.

But maybe the overlooked key to a strong mindset isn’t perfection. It is being willing to sit in discomfort, to stand up one more time than we fall, to strengthen ourselves not only in the comfort of meditation but also in the metaphorical rain.

And we don’t have to trek into the mountains to do this. We can build resilience in our own daily lives with small experiments.

7 Bear Grylls–Inspired Challenges for Your Mindset

1. Cold showers or cold exposure

Begin your day with a burst of discomfort: a cold shower, splashing icy water on your face, or standing in the crisp morning air. It shocks your body awake and reminds your mind: I can handle this. When you finish, praise yourself. Smile, breathe, say out loud, “I’m proud of myself.”

2. Digital detox

Go 24 hours, or even just half a day, without your phone or laptop. Notice the difference in your nervous system when the constant noise disappears. When you finish, congratulate yourself. Anchor it with the words: “I created space, I did it, I’m calmer.”

3. Visibility challenge

Stretch your visibility muscles. Post that video on social media, share your voice in a group, or ask the question in class. It doesn’t have to be perfect. The goal is to be seen. Afterwards, affirm it: “I showed up. I was brave. I took up space.”

4. Sense awakening

Bear teaches survival through the senses, and we can train ours too. Turn off the lights and let your ears and skin take over. Close your eyes and notice textures, smells and sounds. Or go for a safe night walk with a friend. Within minutes, your awareness expands. Remind yourself: “I am awake, alive, and my senses are powerful.”

5. Skill in discomfort

Choose something you are not good at: dancing, drawing, a new sport, even cooking. Let yourself be awkward, clumsy, imperfect, and enjoy it. Growth comes from trying, not mastery. Laugh at the mistakes and say: “Look at me learning, look at me growing.”

6. Weather embrace

Stop hiding from the elements. Stand in the wind, walk in the rain, sit outside when it is cold or hot. Not dangerously, but enough to remind yourself that you are alive. Instead of complaining, reframe it: “I can feel the power of nature. I’m strong enough for this.”

7. Carry something heavy

This is pure Bear Grylls. Pick up a heavy backpack, a container of water, or even load up books and carry them for a short walk. Notice how your mind wants to quit before your body does. And when you are done, don’t just drop it. Tell yourself: “I carried my weight. I did something hard. I’m stronger for it.”

The overlooked key

Resilience isn’t built in theory. It is built in practice. Just like those children in Snowdonia, you will be amazed at how quickly you change when you lean into discomfort.

So maybe the overlooked key to a strong mindset is not avoiding failure but embracing it. Not running from discomfort but letting it shape you. Not staying safe in the cocoon, but stepping into the wilderness, both outside and within.

Which of these little challenges speaks to you the most?

Try it, and let yourself be surprised by the strength you discover.