Annoying Zen stuff that seems to be helpful

I don't know what it is, but I have an aversion to things like tie-dyed pillows with jingle bell tassels that say "be here now". Or "be present" or "breathe". When I see them I get a bad taste in my mouth and I make ugly faces that you shouldn't make in public. I have no control of my facial expressions ever, in any situation.
Recently, I realized two things: one, I don't have to study Buddhism in it's entirety to learn something from it and two, everyone takes different things away from Buddhist ideas and mantras and that's fine. I was taking the "popularized Buddhism" and notions of a peace-loving free spirit and only seeing the most annoying, characterized iteration of it. Does that make sense? I wasn't marching around, all "down with the hippies" but I was kind of lumping what I thought Buddhism was, and perhaps how some "super Zen-like" people can be super pesky, how I really don't like Phish, into one big negative pile.
It was surprising to me when I came across the phrase "be here now" and it just hit me at the right time in the right place while I was looking for something to quiet my mind and help me let go of worry. No joke, I rolled my eyes, at myself, in the mirror. Multiple days in a row. "Hey, be here now, maaaaaan" was something I said to myself in a surfer dude voice. I was mocking myself? Yah. I was super uncomfortable with taking something seriously that I had scoffed at for so long. Once I stopped thinking that that phrase belongs on yarn art in a yoga studio (love yoga, not hatin!), I started bringing it to mind when I realized I wasn't being very present, aka, was worrying about the past or the future. Or freaking out. Or full-on losing my shit. All situations are applicable. So here's what happened:

1. I started to realize I was feeling anxious about the past or the future, immediate or far off.
2. I would say my little "be here now" mantra to myself.
3. I would look around and notice all of the things I liked about the present and what was around me.
4. Deep breaths, concentrating on the present, repeat.
5. Repeat as needed.

This has been really  helpful for the last week or so. I wouldn't say that this replaces professional help for things like depression, or will solve all of your problems, but it could be supplementary, right? I'm not entirely floating around in a bubble of happiness, but I feel a whole lot more peaceful. And peace feels nice.
xoxoxox
Alexis