People do tend to make mindfulness more complex than it needs to be.

A couple of years ago I got very serious about mindfulness and meditation. After reading The Power Of Now (Eckhart Tolle) I came to the realization you wrote about here. Now everything in my world tends to be something to notice … especially when I become aware of the need.

I have tinnitus (ringing in the ears). I now use that as my companion to mindfulness. When I find my thoughts wondering I can think about the sound, which changes with my heartbeat, and use it as a little biofeedback mechanism. As I begin to settle back into being more mindful I can hear my heart rate slowing some and sense I am on the right track in the moment.

I have also worked hard to not “get mad” for thinking. For me it is not just the thinking that interrupts my mindfulness but when I chase thoughts that conjure up negative emotions. Emotions that are linked with regret of the past or anxiety of the future. When I notice the negative emotions I make an effort to simply replace the thoughts with others while I simply notice things in my environment.

Thanks for the reminder of how simple it can be.