Nature and the Mind: Learning to Be Alone with Our Thoughts
When was the last time you sat somewhere quietly with no phone, no TV, no scrolling — just you and your thoughts? For most of us, the answer is “not recently.” The moment we feel bored or restless, we reach for something to distract us. Yet, sitting quietly — what we now call mindfulness or meditation — has been shown again and again to reduce stress, improve mood, and even benefit our physical health.
As a biologist, I’m fascinated by how something as simple as meditation might work right down at the level of our cells. One area that really catches my attention is telomeres — the little “caps” at the ends of our chromosomes that protect them from damage. They naturally get shorter as we age, which is linked to all sorts of age-related conditions. An enzyme called telomerase helps slow that shortening, but it’s not always enough to keep our telomeres intact.
What’s exciting is that early research (Mendioroz et al.) suggests people who meditate regularly may have longer telomeres than those who don’t. It’s amazing to see science starting to catch up with what so many people feel after meditating: calmer minds, healthier bodies, and maybe even a longer life.
But here’s the catch — many people tell me, “I just can’t meditate.” Maybe what they really mean is: “I’m not comfortable being alone with my own thoughts.”
Another interesting study (Wilson et al.) showed just how uncomfortable this can be. Participants rated the pleasantness of positive stimuli, such as nature photographs, and negative stimuli, like receiving an electric shock. When asked how much they would pay to experience or not experience the stimuli, they said they would pay not to get the electric shock. When the same participants were left alone in a room with their thoughts, some elected to get shocked rather than sit with silence.
So, if you’ve ever tried to meditate and felt fidgety, restless, or like you’re “bad at it,” you’re absolutely normal. We’re simply out of practice at doing nothing.
Here’s a really gentle way to start:
Get comfortable. Sit in a chair with your feet on the floor or sit cross-legged on the ground with your knees supported. If sitting isn’t comfy, lie down.
Feel your weight. If you’re sitting, feel it balanced between your sitting bones. If you’re lying down, let your whole-body sink into the surface beneath you.
Let your breath flow naturally. No need to force it — just notice it.
Watch your thoughts drift by. When your mind wanders (and it will), gently bring your attention back to your breath, making no judgment.
Keep it short. Two or three minutes is enough to start. You can build up from there.
It’s not about “clearing your mind” — it’s about noticing your mind. Over time, this simple act of sitting quietly can start to feel like a refuge. And who knows? You may even be lengthening those telomeres!
References.
Mendioroz, M., et al. (2020). Telomere length and long-term meditation: A cross-sectional study. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 112, 104490.
Wilson, T. D., Reinhard, D. A., Westgate, E. C., et al. (2014). Just think: The challenges of the disengaged mind. Science, 345(6192), 75–77.