Thunderstorms, Wind, Rain and Negative Ions

Wow! We're in the middle of another awe-inspiring display of Mother Nature's Power... a thunderstorm! I simply LOVE thunderstorms! That's probably a good thing, since we have them nearly daily during the Dog Days of Summer here in South Mississippi.

I usually sit on our porch and enjoy the cool wind, watching the rain drumming down. I stay relatively protected under our big, southern style porch, until the lightening gets too close (like now) or until the wind blows too much of the side-ways rain under the porch and I get a chill and have to come inside to dry off and warm up. During and after a thunderstorm, everything seems so much brighter and clearer and I seem to wake up and really feel alive!

During the past 30 years, I have tried to re-create that wonderful feeling by videoing the thunderstorms, but watching them later just isn't the same. Several years ago, I Googled "thunderstorm "and "feeling good" and found so many articles connecting thunderstorms and elevated mood.... and the little secret connection was negative ions, however, I really didn't think about these negative ions much.

Then, a couple of years ago, I returned to Niagara Falls. I suddenly remembered that I always feel so GOOD while at Niagara! I could breathe better and walk farther with less pain. The colors of the fall foliage seemed brighter and the water looked prettier than it had looked in all the other equally beautiful states that we had visited! It was like I was taking some sort of "happy" drug!

 

I stored these memories of near euphoria, and decided to investigate more after our vacation. After we came home, I Googled "Niagara Falls" and "feeling really good" and once again, I came across hundreds of articles about negative ions. So I decided I really needed to learn about these magical atoms and molecules!

Now, I've always thought of positive things as increasing moods, but evidently NEGATIVE ions are the mood boosters in nature. Basically, certain environments in nature create loads of negative ions; mountains, waterfalls, beaches, and, in South Mississippi, ... thunderstorms! These ions are tiny. They can not be smelled or tasted, but we breathe them in and they get into our bloodstream, just like oxygen. Once these negative ions are in our system, they are believed to bind with other chemicals in our bodies to create serotonin, our very own, natural chemical mood booster! An increase in serotonin can help us feel better, diminish depression, lower our stress levels and even gives us more energy!


Click here for a link for an article on WebMD concerning negative ions and positive moods: http://www.webmd.com/balance/features/negative-ions-create-positive-vibes?page=2


This makes sense to me. I was raised right on a rolling river. I've always preferred being near moving water. It is possible that my body is used to being exposed to these elevated levels of negative ions and maybe my body needs them to function correctly. I have always preferred being outdoors, even when it's hot and humid... and especially during and after a thunderstorm! Sitting at a computer makes me feel bad, so I distance myself from electronics. I even use blue-tooth enabled keyboard and mouse so I can stay far away from my computer!!!!

I read that most cities have very low negative ions, and I really, really dislike being in large cities. That also makes sense. After reading more about these negative ions, I've realized that many of my routines and habits fit right in with what the articles say about negative ions, which really helps me believe what many of these studies show.

Since I currently live several miles from any normal, natural negative ion generator, such as a river or waterfall, the thunderstorms seem to be my biggest mood boosters! So for now, I'll keep enjoying the storms every evening, while sitting on my front porch, soaking up all those mood-boosting, negative ions!