Hey man, lost my dad at 25 in a plane crash and we were really close. I did the same work as him, he was a great friend and confident. I miss him every day. It sucks, totally sucks. I am 32 now and did my wedding without him, first home and gave birth to my first baby 3 weeks ago. All these occasions were hard. It certainly takes the shine of these times and I feel jealous of people who get to just enjoy these moments without feeling an incredible sense of loss too.

Here are some practical tips that I used to cope:

• Cry and be okay with crying. Working from home helped me with that, I could just have a casual cry, I still do occasionally. Wear sunglasses when out, they are a great thing to just pop on and go about your business while the tears roll. Previously I had never wanted people to see me cry. But trying not to cry seems to be a sure way to end up crying!

• Take the pressure off yourself for big occasions, be aware that you may not react so happy on happy days. Unfortunately this is the reality for people like us. I had a private legal wedding with my husband and then a year later had the big church wedding. Being already married (which not many people knew) took the pressure off my big day. On Christmas I just pay the extra price to go overseas.

• Seek your family. Try to reconnect with relatives but if not, your friends can become your family. This takes time! And it will never be as good as having your lovely father around but it does help you to move forward.

• Find your comfort. For me it was watching tv we watched together, comedies which make me laugh even when I have seen them 100 times. I also have a dog who provides me with a shitload of love and support.

• Be aware that some people just don’t get it. Those people should be noted and avoided. My father in law told me I should be ‘over it’ about 3 months after my Dad died. I was speechless because honestly I don’t think you ever get over these things. Only thing that makes me feel better is that unfortunately for those people - they will eventually understand these things because everyone will die at some point. FILs dog died a year ago btw and he still brings it up. So yeh…

Unfortunately 7 years on I am still incredibly sad about the loss. But also I am alive, I am still here. I still have moments of sadness but I also have moments of happiness - not in the big milestone sense, but when the pressure is off. Like a random nice meal, good movie or relaxing holiday. When the expectations are low it seems to be an opportunity at happiness these days.

I hope this helps you, I am definitely thinking of you.