In my inquiry into mindfulness, I have been learning about a technique called noting or mental noting. During mindfulness meditation it is easy to become distracted by your thoughts, to drift off thinking about your day or future obligations. When this happens you lose focus on your breath or the purpose of mediation.

Noting is the practice of noticing these thoughts, and then labelling them so that you can let them go. It is not about getting hung up on the fact that you are distracted from being mindful or missing out, and you do not need to note every single distraction. When you notice a distraction, categorizing it as a memory, feeling, or fantasy can give it clarity and help you let it go. An essential part of letting go of these distractions is to think of them in a nonjudgmental way, so that you do not dwell on them. Supposedly, over time you become more aware of your habits and distractions are less of a concern.

Coming in as a beginner, this idea seems kind of simple, but I have already had one instance where I found it very useful. I was thinking about several sources of anxiety at the end of one mindfulness session, labelling them really helped put into perspective their lack of urgency, and then I was able to let them go easily.