This week I am excited to share the most-downloaded episode of the first season of The Bearing Life Podcast! (Have you listened yet? I think you should!)

The most-listened-to episode was Episode 9: Single Seasons, with my guest, Annie Tucker, the founder of Take a Bite Blog.

There are so many seasons of life that seem daunting, but when we walk through them with friends, it can help us bear our burdens together, and they become much easier to manage.

In the episode, we talked about the realities of singleness and the defining steps we can take to walk through this time.

A review of the recent Pew Research Center profile of single Americans shows that half of all singles are looking to date, while half are not. Half of US adults say that dating has become more difficult in the last 10 years. Equally, men and women share their dissatisfaction with their dating lives.

And while this isn’t a post about the realities of dating life, it is an opportunity to share how we can support one another and how we can encourage our friends who are in this season.

Celebrate together: invite your friends to try new restaurants or celebrate small victories or holidays at home!

Invest in friendships: take the time to get to know someone and build deep friendships with friends who will always be there!

Talk about your singleness: share your thoughts and your experience with others. Your friends may have other resources or encouragement for you!

Enjoy the good: spend time enjoying the things that you couldn’t do if you were in a relationship. Live life on your own schedule or book a trip and travel on your own!

If you are feeling isolated, make the choice to reach out! Spend time enjoying your friends and spend quality time together.

Tune into the podcast to hear how Annie has walked with her friends through this single season.

We can wait well with our hope!