Creating meaningful relationships is what the ARMY Glow-Up Relations goal is all about. It focuses on the many activities we can do to foster positive and healthy relationships with others. Improving relations with people in our lives, being involved in charity work, and being active in community-based activities—fan base events included—are just a few concrete ways to live and fulfill this goal.
However, these outward expressions of social interactions and community-building are only by-products of loving oneself. When we are kind and compassionate to ourselves, the decision to pursue constructive connections with others becomes an aspiration.
The Relations Challenge
BTS and UNICEF launched the Love Myself Campaign in 2017 to promote self-esteem and reach young people to help improve their lives and rights. The campaign subverts ideas of aggression, vindication, and acts of bullying among youth by directing their energy toward empathy building that begins with the self. It is non-violent and empowering at the same time. Seven years on, its appeal and relevance have remained and resonated with ARMYs of all ages from different walks of life.
The AGU Relations’ challenge is two-fold. The first one is to practice self-empathy so we can create a receptive space within ourselves that allows us to empathize with others without projecting our own experiences onto them. Self-empathy can also have a positive impact on our mental and emotional well-being. When relating with others, empathy helps us build stronger relationships with others by fostering trust, understanding, and mutual respect. It also helps us navigate conflicts and disagreements by allowing us to see things from another person’s perspective. The second challenge is to partake in community building and civic duties motivated by a natural desire to become a better person or ARMY for others.
Setting Relations Goals
What personal goals can you work on under Relations? Here are some examples:
To become more self-aware in practicing empathy
To become a more active member of the community/communities I belong in, whether inside or outside the BTS ARMY space
To be more committed to taking action for my advocacies and the ideas that I strongly believe in
To inspire and make a positive impact on others through my own self-improvement journey
Get that Glow Up
Here are some activities that you can do to support your Relations Goals:
Practice empathy by listening actively to yourself and others. Focus fully on the person speaking without interrupting.
Reflect on your feelings. Emotions can inform us of our current state of mind and leads to decision-making. Encourage others to be more reflective of their emotions as well.
Ask open-ended questions. Gently encourage others to share more.
Avoid judgment. Keep an open mind and heart.
Offer support, not solutions. Say, "How can I support you?" or “What help do you need?”
Practice patience. Give others time to express themselves. Be tolerant of mistakes and look at them as avenues of growth and learning.
Choose a charity, volunteer work, or social movement that speaks your values and beliefs. Research the organization and how you can proactively participate given your available time and resources.
Join the Glow-Up Movement
To quote the lyrics from "Answer: Love Myself," “You’ve shown me reasons, I should love myself…” Through their music, content, projects, and actions, BTS has truly inspired ARMY to love, speak, and express themselves. Let the reasons BTS gave and showed us be the motivation to continue the AGU Relations goal. Track and monitor your goal and share with us your progress be it big or small. There may be bumps and hiccups along the way, for sure, but remember to be kind to yourself when this happens. Take a breath and begin. Again!
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