Wellbeing in Education: Creating Confident, Resilient Minds

Wellbeing in education is not a luxury - it is a necessity. For students, teachers, and educational professionals alike, the ability to feel confident, resilient, and supported is what allows learning, growth, and curiosity to flourish.

Yet all too often, our education systems overlook the mental and emotional wellbeing of those at the heart of it. However, the good news is that wellbeing can be cultivated, taught, and embedded into the very fabric of the educational experience.

Why Wellbeing Matters

Whether we are talking about nursery children taking their first steps into learning, university students facing the pressures of exams, or educators navigating the demands of classrooms and administrative duties, wellbeing is the foundation for success.

When wellbeing is compromised, stress, anxiety, and self-doubt become barriers to achievement. Conversely, when we nurture confidence and emotional resilience, individuals can approach challenges with clarity, curiosity, and a sense of “I can do this.”

The brain is hardwired to respond to its environment. Positive reinforcement, encouragement, and the removal of self-limiting beliefs are not just feel-good strategies - they directly impact cognitive function, motivation, and emotional regulation. In simple terms, a healthy mind learns better, and a confident mind thrives.

Supporting Students at Every Stage

For young children, wellbeing starts with safety, encouragement, and affirmation. Repeating positive language, such as “I am capable” or “I am enough,” may seem simple, but it wires the brain for resilience and confidence.

This is why I created the “I Can’t to I Can” 5-Day Challenge - a program designed for primary-aged children to help them overcome fear, self-doubt, and negative thinking patterns, while building self-belief, courage, and emotional strength by creating an Inner Cheerleader. Even in just five days, children start to see themselves differently and approach challenges with an “I can do this” mindset.

In secondary and higher education, students face more complex pressures: grades, social comparisons, and the looming question of their future. These stressors can manifest as anxiety, loss of motivation, or disengagement. Programs that teach self-awareness, stress management, and emotional regulation equip students not only to perform academically but to navigate life beyond the classroom with a sense of agency and calm.

Supporting Educators and Educational Professionals

Wellbeing isn’t just for students. Teachers, professors, and staff are the backbone of educational success, yet they are often overlooked when it comes to support. Chronic stress, burnout, and feelings of inadequacy are alarmingly common. Prioritizing wellbeing for educators isn’t just compassionate - it is necessary. Educators who are supported, confident, and resilient are more effective, present, and inspiring. When teachers feel good, students benefit - it’s a ripple effect.

Practical Strategies to Build Wellbeing

Wellbeing can be taught and reinforced at every level of education. Here are some strategies I have seen make a real difference:

1. Positive Self-Talk and Affirmations: Encourage both students and educators to use affirming language daily. Simple statements like “I can handle this” or “I am enough” may seem small, but they reshape the subconscious mind over time.
    
2. Emotional Awareness: Create safe spaces where individuals can identify and express feelings without judgment. Understanding emotions is the first step in managing them effectively.
    
3. Mindfulness and Breathing Practices: Even a few minutes a day of mindful breathing or meditation can reduce stress, improve focus, and regulate the nervous system.
    
4. Celebrating Small Wins: Recognition of effort, progress, and achievement, no matter how small, builds confidence and encourages perseverance.
    
5. Embedding Wellbeing into Curriculum and Culture: From nursery classrooms to university lecture halls, wellbeing should not be an afterthought. Initiatives like my RTT Schools Program, which bring RTT-based techniques directly into classrooms, help build confidence, resilience, and emotional intelligence into everyday learning.
    

The Role of Confidence in Learning

Confidence is at the heart of wellbeing. I often see that when individuals feel unsure or inadequate, learning is blocked. Conversely, when confidence is nurtured, curiosity, creativity, and engagement flourish. This is true for both students and educators. Confidence allows risk-taking, innovation, and the resilience to keep going in the face of challenges - essential skills for the 21st-century learner.

A Call to Action for Education

Educational institutions have a profound opportunity and responsibility to champion wellbeing. By creating environments where emotional resilience, self-belief, and confidence are as fundamental as literacy and numeracy, we equip students and educators with the tools to thrive - not just academically, but in life.

Wellbeing is not a program to tick off a list. It is a culture, a mindset, and a daily practice. As educators, when we prioritize wellbeing, we are giving children and students the greatest gift: the ability to believe in themselves and their potential, to face challenges with courage, and to grow into happy, fulfilled adults.

In Conclusion

Whether you are nurturing nursery children, guiding teenagers, or teaching adults, wellbeing in education matters. By embedding confidence, resilience, and emotional intelligence into every aspect of learning through programs like the “I Can’t to I Can” 5-Day Challenge and RTT Schools Program, we create environments where everyone can flourish.

Ultimately, wellbeing is not just about surviving - it’s about thriving, believing in yourself, and realising that you are, and always have been, enough.

You can find out more about my RTT Schools Program at: https://link.rtt.com/4a3XKBY


By Marisa Peer
 

About Marisa: 

World-renowned therapist, global speaker, and best-selling author Marisa Peer is one of the most recognized names in the wellness industry. Over her forty-year career, she has worked with a client list that includes international superstars, CEOs, and Olympic athletes, using her unique approach, Rapid Transformational Therapy® (RTT®).

After receiving advanced certifications from the Hypnotism Training Institute of Los Angeles, Proudfoot School of Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy, and the Atkinson Ball College of Hypnotherapy, Marisa pursued extensive studies in hypno-healing, advanced hypnotherapy, medical hypnotherapy, psychotherapy, and Gestalt Analysis.

She then spent three decades researching, testing, and applying the most beneficial principles of hypnotherapy, psychotherapy, NLP, CBT, quantum physics, and neuroscience to develop her very own groundbreaking Rapid Transformational Therapy® method.

In 2013, she began the I Am Enough movement, which works to boost inner confidence and help people improve their relationships, careers, health, and self-esteem while eliminating blocks to creating wealth and abundance - and has recently launched her new membership program, Grow and Transform.

After seeing huge success in her private practice and transforming the lives of thousands of clients, in 2015, Marisa established the RTT® School and has helped to train over 18,000^[1] therapists, coaches, and practitioners globally.  

A sought-after public speaker, Marisa has spoken on stages across the world at major events, including Mindvalley Live, the World Government Summit, Greator Festival, Pendulum Summit, Alula Wellness Festival, Brand Minds 2024, The Royal Society of Medicine, Global Citizen, Forbes Medical Tourism and Wellness Summit and A-Fest, and has delivered several highly successful TEDx talks. 

She regularly contributes as an expert spokesperson across global media platforms, including The Guardian, Marie Claire, Newsweek, NBC’s Today Show, Sky News, Supersize vs. Superskinny, Celebrity Fit Club, I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here and The Housewives of Dubai. She has also appeared as a guest on several top-rated podcasts, including Stephen Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO, The Ranveer Show, and Laura Clery’s Idiot podcast.

In 2021, Marisa created The 5-Day Challenge, a free resource aimed at 6 - 11-year-olds to help them build self-confidence and resilience, which has been recognized within the education industry as a powerful well-being tool - and is now being developed into a year-long program.

She also launched Dietless Life, a unique weight management program that helps people develop a healthy relationship with food - allowing them to lose weight and keep it off for a lifetime.

Marisa has published six books, four of which have been Amazon best-sellers in the UK and US. She has a huge global following, with over 2.6M followers across her social media channels.

Websites:

Marisa Peer - https://marisapeer.com/
Speaker page - https://marisapeer.com/speaker/
Rapid Transformational Therapy - https://rtt.com/

Social media links:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/marisapeertherapy/
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@MarisaPeer/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheMarisaPeer/
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marisa-peer/
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@themarisapeer