You may have noticed some strange things happening lately, especially glitches here in Wi-Fi Land. Maybe your text messages aren't going through, flights have been delayed, or perhaps you've noticed some strange physiological effects like being more emotional, angry, edgy, or agitated. Maybe you're experiencing more difficulty sleeping than usual, unexplained bouts of nausea, dizziness, extreme exhaustion, or even difficulty remembering things. These can all be the result of solar flares.
According to NASA, solar flares are a natural part of the sun's life that occurs when built up magnetic energy is suddenly released along with high levels of radiation. The amount of energy emitted from a solar flare can equal millions of 100-megaton hydrogen bombs being detonated all at the same time.
We're at a particularly robust time for solar flares right now, too, and experts suggest activity will peak in 2013. As recently as May 2012, a sunspot measuring more than 60, 000 miles across began emitting flare activity. At its most potent, solar flares can emit massive solar plasma clouds moving at some 3 million miles per hour. These flares affect Earth's entire electromagnetic spectrum, which is why electronic devices, power grids, and radio signals can malfunction or misfire, and the intense radiation can make air-travel dangerous during large flares.
And sun flares undoubtedly have effects on the human body's own electromagnetic fields. Similar to electronics going haywire, we can find ourselves feeling off for no particular reason from emotional outbursts to feeling physically imbalanced. So, how exactly do we protect ourselves against the effects of solar flares? These tips may help:
- Hydrate: Most of us are regularly dehydrated. Proper hydration helps every function of the body and can make you more 'fluid', especially helpful when flushing the toxins of a solar flare out of your system.
- Eat Antioxidant-rich Foods: Antioxidants protect you on a cellular level with potent free-radical fighting properties. Any rich colored foods are typically an excellent source of antioxidants: berries, dark leafy greens, beets, carrots—even red wine and chocolate!
- Eat Superfoods: Like antioxidants, superfoods can provide the body a bounty of super-nutrients that can help protect your body from the sun's damaging effects. Amino acids, minerals, vitamins, and unique plant chemicals and alkaloids can be incredibly beneficial. Try goji berries, green tea, mulberries, maca, hemp, and chia seeds.
- Herbs: If you find yourself repeatedly experiencing specific symptoms, be they emotional, sleeplessness, or dizziness, you can work with the powerful plant kingdom to treat them. Calming herbs like lemon balm, oatstraw, and passionflower can be used for emotional flare ups and sleeplessness; ginger, peppermint, and lemon can be effective in treating nausea, dizziness, and general feelings of imbalance.
- Take Extra De-Stress Time: It's always good to check-in with ourselves honestly about our stress levels. When we're stressed, everything else can become heightened and off-balance. A bath, a relaxing movie, a night out, or even a full-on vacation can help us reset and better deal with everything coming at us.
- Be Present: Living with an awareness of the present moment and our behavior can help us respond consciously. When we're triggered emotionally it is so easy to get caught up in the feelings that let them take over, which can result in conflicts, hurting others as well as ourselves. Staying present and being aware of the emotional surges can make it easier to avoid giving into them. When we observe negative emotions coming on, we can remove ourselves from a situation that may be impacted—take a walk, go to a yoga class, meditate, garden, etc., and move that energy out rather than get caught up in it.
