ORLANDO, Fla. -- On this Father's Day, when many people are celebrating with their dads, the day may be difficult for some.

  • Father's Day is a reminder of loss for some people
  • Sarah Nannen lost her husband several years ago
  • She now helps others cope with grieving process

Grief comes in many forms: Some may be grieving after losing a father, others from not having a relationship with their father.

Sarah Nannen lost her husband and father to her four children just four years ago. Since then, she's become an author and life coach who helps people deal with grief.

Nannen says if it's one of your first Father's Days without your Dad, try not to be too concerned with what you should be doing.

"Invite the people who you feel unconditionally safe with to be there with you as a part of it," Nannen says. "Because so often, we think we should be at a certain place, or we should want a certain thing, or we should need certain people but what's really important for us is to consider what's real for us and the people who can meet us where we are and help us have this authentic experience that feels most important to our heart on that day, because it is intense."


Sarah Nannen says if you're coping with the loss of a father figure on Father's Day, one of the best things you can do is focus on a child who may need you. (Sarah Nannen website)

And for the difficult situation of having a father or husband in the hospital, Nannen says the best thing you can do is surround them with love.

"We know enough scientifically that people in comas can actually experience our presence, can actually hear us, even if they're not capable of responding to us," Nannen says. "And so what a gift for him to be surrounded by her voice to be hearing his young sons' voices and telling stories, and I think that's one of the best things we can do in those moments is we can reflect on what is good."

And if you're struggling to become a father or you've lost a child, Nannen says to turn your attention to a child who may need you now.

"There are probably children that's he's already deeply impacting, and if he's not, there are many children in the world who are waiting to be fathered and mothered and mentored by us."

There's more on dealing with grief on Sarah Nannen's website, GriefUnveiled.com.