Painful emotional reaction to the loss of a loved one, melancholy is an intrinsic part of our lives.
Traumatic events such as divorce, loss of job or home, can cause the similar sense of frustration.
Each reacts in his own way, but there are phases of sadness common to all.
Gentle natural therapies may be helpful in such cases.
Feelings of melancholy varies in intensity depending on the depth of their loss and the status of the person.
It's hard to know what to tell someone who suffers, but most feel comforted by the mere presence or availability to listen of a friend.
How to prevent melancholy Virtually there is no way to prevent melancholy, but it is possible to mitigate the effects.
For starters, try to establish better relationships with family members and friends, while they're still alive.
This saves us the feelings of regret, remorse and guilt caused by the "things left undone.
" Grieving process Bereaved people go through four stages, which are either succeed or overlap.

1. Usually, the first phase is characterized by apathy, when the death of a loved one or the loss suffered don't seem real.
   Subconsciously the person denies the event.
   This stage lasts from several days to several months.
   
2. The apathy is followed by a whirlwind of emotions generated by the loss' awareness.
   
3. Stormy feelings of phase two spawn a prolonged depression, perhaps accompanied by physical symptoms, such as sleep problems, headaches and lack of appetite.
   
4. At first slowly and randomly, and increasingly often, the person returns to his old way of being, becoming used with the loss and resuming positive thinking about the future.
   But even years later, at a memorial, for example, painful memories might be awoken, causing a feeling of the loss being fairly recent.
   

How to treat melancholy Take care of yourself in this period of emotional fragility.
Even if the future appears bleak, don't abandon the hope that eventually things will improve.
Diet and Supplements If you've lost your appetite, get someone to keep you company at least during one meal a day.
Take multivitamins and mineral supplements.
Phytotherapy A daily dose of Saint John's wort can support you in your fight against depression.
For anxiety, try valerian, chamomile or passiflora.
Homeopathy

• Aconitum: against a strong shock caused by the sudden death of a loved one;
• Ignatia: against prolonged and hysterical crying, or when you're unable to cry.
  

Exercises Physical exercises help increase the level of endorphins, chemicals that have natural role in inducing a state of well-being.
Walking with a friend, preferably a sympathetic one, is a pleasant way to keep us active and exposed to sun, which is beneficial as well.
Flower essences

• Honeysuckle: when you keep thinking of the past;
• Grass Lily: against the feeling of loss and shock;
• Sweet Chestnut: for anguish and despair.
  
• Walnut: help to get used to the situation.
  
• Willow: against suffering and self-pity.
  

Massage and Aromatherapy The contact involved by massage is comforting itself and facilitates the manifestation of repressed feelings.
You can use scented oils: mix 6 to 8 drops of essential oil with 1 tablespoon of sweet almond oil, or put essential oil in the bathtub and sit longer in water.

• Against melancholy accompanied by anxiety, use lavender oil, ylang ylang, vetiver and clary sage.
  Avoid clary sage in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy.
  
• If due to melancholy you're feeling tired and lethargic, try geranium, neroli, jasmine, rose or bergamot oils.
  

Relaxation If you are a prey of your thoughts, you'll become overwhelmed with melancholy.
However, it is good to express your feelings, especially if you usually repress them.
Reserve your time to be alone and quiet.
Visualization can be a useful exercise.
Yoga and meditation Regular practice of yoga positions, breathing exercises and meditation can help keeping you balanced.
Yoga stimulates you towards opening to the feelings of pain, and that itself may favor a state of reconciliation with loss.
Other therapies A psychotherapist, a counselor in matters of deaths or a member of the clergy can support and help you talk about your feelings, especially if you have no one whom to confide to.
Creative therapies are a way to externalize your emotions as well.
Did you know that Certain colors of the clothes you wear can help you overcome the melancholy period.
Although black is the traditional color of mourning, it is better to wear bright and happy colors, to improve your mood.
Visit a doctor when

• Prolonged melancholy affects your work or personal relationships;
• You're feeling severe depression.
  

Seek urgent help when You have suicidal thoughts.