“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” — Eleanor Roosevelt.
It is not something new that women have the never-ending battle with self-confidence. For instance, you are expected to be “flawless” to be acknowledged for your confidence. Consequently, this might lead you to have low self-esteem as you doubt your potential.
While it may seem practical, the reality is that these struggles are often portrayed through movies and television series. Through these stories, you can see clearly how characters who stumble and doubt themselves yet rise again, making such challenges feel more conquerable. Earlier this year, Shondaland introduced its mystery-comedy TV series The Residence on Netflix.
While the series left a good impression with its plot, Cordelia Cupp, the main character, also successfully claimed her spot in viewers’ hearts. Cordelia’s character is a fresh representation of women in detective fiction, a genre that is usually dominated by male characters. In addition, the way Cordelia unveils the mystery represents her uniqueness and strong confidence, as she has her own approach to solving the mystery.
This article will help you boost your confidence as a woman through the resilience embodied by Cordelia Cupp in The Residence, empowering you to grow self-awareness, even in the face of challenges.
The link between resilience and lasting confidence
Resilience is one of the most effective ways to protect yourself. It helps you protect your well-being when facing adversity, teaching you to adapt and grow from it. Over time, these experiences can improve your confidence as you can maintain hope and self-worth in uncertain times.
A recent study on women’s mental health shows that resilience and self-esteem are highly connected. Resilience activates self-confidence through healthy communication, emotional regulation, problem-solving, and stress management. As a result, this stability empowers them to set and pursue meaningful goals, navigate challenges with purposeful action, and feel assured in their decision-making.
Considering you are stuck on your career progress, having a high resilience will help you to reframe the situation as a motivation to learn rather than doubting yourself. This mindset will also help you build lasting confidence by motivating you to pursue long-term ambitions. Furthermore, women and resilience can work together to promote autonomy through goal-directed behavior and purposeful action.
Confidence is not perfection
As a woman, you may face unrealistic expectations and harmful societal norms daily. For instance, you must present yourself in a ‘presentable’ manner to secure a job, or adhere to established job rules to gain recognition, even if it contradicts your principles. A report shows nearly four in five women experience low self-esteem, often avoiding self-advocacy at work, which can hinder their career growth.
Experiencing these unhealthy societal demands can make you feel pressured inside, especially if you think that you won’t fit the so-called ‘standards’. As a result, you will start to doubt yourself and lose your sense of direction. Cordelia Cupp from The Residence reflects this struggle as she faces skepticism and underestimation, yet refuses to let them define her worth.
Read more: How Social Media is Affecting Body Image, and How Women Can Overcome It
Little did you know, Cordelia’s story shows that being confident is not the same as being perfect. Confidence is about being content with what you have and trusting yourself that you can make use of your full potential to achieve your dream.
By embracing imperfections, you can shift your perspective toward unexpected things and prepare yourself to take the best action in response. Therefore, overcoming self-doubt as a woman and staying resilient are vital parts of being confident.
Cordelia Cupp’s resilience in the face of challenges
The previous sections explored how Cordelia Cupp’s story reflects the struggles and lessons of building confidence as a woman.
As a detective hired to solve the murder of A.B. Wynter, the White House Chief Usher, Cordelia’s confidence is well-reflected in how well she manages her self-trust during a highly stressful event, as the case involves political tension, public attention, and hidden motives behind the murder. This is evident in her calm observation of all possible suspects, as she believes the process will ultimately lead to the expected outcome.
Even when the case appears to be unresolved, she still manages to trust her instincts and compile more information by locking down the White House, reflecting how to be confident in uncertainty.
Additionally, she changes her investigation even when people say that it wastes time and reconstructs the murder by utilizing all of the clues that she has successfully compiled. This behavior shows Cordelia realizes that all of her efforts will never betray her, even when others doubt her methods.
How to build lasting confidence through resilience
Research highlights that your resilience level represents your self-confidence as well. Cordelia Cupp’s journey in The Residence is a clear example, as her ability to adapt, trust her instincts, and push forward despite skepticism shows how resilience and confidence work hand in hand. Here are some confidence tips for women that you can try:
Reframe self-doubt as a growth opportunity
To boost your confidence, you can start by acknowledging your doubt as an opportunity to grow. By doing so, you will be able to face all of the challenges without being overwhelmed by fear. Through the process, your self-esteem will improve as your self-trust increases.
Here are some ways to turn your doubt into an opportunity to grow:
- Practice cognitive reappraisal. This involves looking at doubt as a sign to step out of your comfort zone instead of stopping your progress.
- Track your progress. Use a journal to track your growth, even if you feel doubtful about it. This will help you to organize your thoughts and prevent you from making impulsive decisions.
- Set regular challenges. Create small challenges regularly to fight your self-doubt. This exercise will help you to realize that progress is more important than the result.
Read more: The Power of Perspective: How Cognitive Appraisal Shapes Your Resilience
Build a personal resilience toolkit
Building resilience can be done in so many ways. It can be promoted internally and externally. Here are some easy ways to make your resilience effective:
- Build your connection. Surrounding yourself with those who support your growth will enhance your resilience. Furthermore, this community will help you grow by learning from shared experiences.
- Be present. Applying mindfulness practice by being present in the moment will help you regulate your emotions better. In addition, it is helpful to reduce your stress by strengthening your calmness.
- Use positive affirmations. Suggesting to yourself positive affirmations will help you counter your negative thoughts, as it empowers your inner self.
Practice confidence in uncertainty
One key lesson from Cordelia is how she maintained her confidence under uncertain circumstances. By following her instincts, she successfully turns the tables by proving that she can solve the mystery. Here are some ways you can stay confident, even when you are in doubt:
- Embracing discomfort. Familiarizing yourself with things that might make you uncomfortable can help you stay confident, even in tough times. For example, asking for help from others and trying some new activities can enhance your survival skills.
- Trusting your instincts. Practicing self-check-in will help you become more confident as it fosters your self-trust.
- Reflecting on past successes. When insecurity hits you, you can revisit your past achievements, especially those moments when you believe in your gut. This will help you to realize that you are worth trusting.
In conclusion
There are many situations where it is hard for women to be confident in themselves. This is caused by unrealistic expectations and gender role stereotypes, which lead you to doubt your potential. To address this, promoting resilience is urgently needed, as it enables you to have a better relationship with yourself and develop self-trust.
The characteristics of Cordelia Cupp from The Residence represent how women can be confident by embracing their uniqueness. Her journey also teaches you to embrace your identity without being afraid of judgment. Start your resilience journey, enhance your relationship with yourself, and you can build lasting confidence.
If you want to see more resources on confidence, check out the Personal Resilience Science Labs. The lab uses the research of the Institute for Life Management Science to produce courses, certifications, podcasts, videos, and other tools. Visit the Personal Resilience Science Labs today.
Photo by Freepik
