Relational CORE Fitness affords us insight, tools, and skills to realise how our attitudes and behaviour impact our happiness and the quality of our relationships – at home, at work, and in society at large. It is our path to meaningful connection, happiness, and wellbeing.

Relational CORE Fitness empowers us to be the change we seek in a world of growing disconnect, unhappiness, and loneliness. It is a process of transformation leading us to foster individual, relational, and collective well-being.

Research now clearly indicates rising social isolation around the world. The growing loneliness epidemic, the emotional recession and the decline in empathy as noted in the State of the Heart 2024 research report are now of major concern.

We are witnessing a cultural climate with an intensification of individualism. There is now talk about cultures of competitiveness, entitlement, and conflict avoidance which can negatively impact the health of our relationships.

The rights to personal development and freedom of expression are argued to be a form of self-care. In an era of growing relational dysfunction, relationship breakdowns, and divorce, self-care activities are now promoted to build greater self-awareness, self-compassion, and self-love.

While taking care of ourselves remains important, our lives in captivity due to the Coronavirus restrictions brought to our attention the importance of other care, and indeed mutual care. It became clear that we all have a fundamental human need for connection and to be part of a bigger world beyond our own four walls. We all have a need to feel heard, seen, valued and loved; to experience the human energies in caring and nourishing relationships.

As renowned Belgian-American psychologist Esther Perel emphasises: “The quality of our relationships determines the quality of our lives.”

Living in a world where the quality of relationships is deteriorating, we need to redirect our attention to relationship dynamics in all spheres of our lives. We need to learn how to balance individual and relationship commitment and be mindful of our contribution to happiness and wellbeing, our own and that of others.

The idea of romantic relationships might jump to mind when we hear the word relationships. No doubt, our intimate romantic relationships are a focal point for most of us throughout life and are known to add to or undermine our well‐being.

However, we benefit from reminding ourselves that we are part of a multitude of relationships in the web of life. All relationships matter and contribute in their special way to the quality of our life’s journey – those with our significant other, our parents and grandparents, our siblings and extended family, our friends and work colleagues, our communities and strangers we meet as we travel through life.

While we might hope for smooth sailing in all our relationships, the fact is that conflict of minor and major proportions is part of relational reality. All relationships in our private and public domains go through phases of harmony and disharmony, if not also rupture.

Given the state of our relational lives and our individual and socio-cultural health and well-being, it is hard to ignore that we are challenged in our human capacity to steer our relationships through rough seas. Most of us have been taught how to navigate the complexities of dynamics inherent in our modern world of relationships successfully. I am no exception!

My life experiences and supporting evidence from within relational sciences have made me appreciate that we all benefit from not only physical fitness but from what I have called Relational CORE Fitness.

With Relational CORE Fitness, we can

  • acknowledge our shared humanity replete with vulnerability, imperfection, and emotional conundrums in our personal and professional spheres.
  • question our biases and avoid a cycle of maladaptive thoughts and behavioural patterns that undermine healthy relationships.
  • be curious, courageous, and committed to showing that we are willing to live by the values we proclaim.
  • act out of love and not out of fear with an appreciation of the importance of mutuality.

Come and join me. Be an agent of change and contribute to healthy relational biospheres in all spheres of your life. Take on the role of relationship champion who fosters meaningful connections and a relational culture of love and care.

 

With love,

Birgit