Some days just feel a little worse than others. It’s cloudy outside and the energy to get things done is just not there. What can you do on those melancholy days to make it worth your while?
Read a book.
There is nothing better than curling up with a blanket and a book and being transported into the author’s imagination for an hour or two. If your tastes run a little different, the ancient world has some good stuff. The Aeschylus has some good plays that you can find online for free. The Roman poet Ovid wrote a collection of mythological stories called the "Metamorphoses" that I would highly recommend. It has every major mythological story that you have heard of plus the beautiful stories of minor mythological characters.
Meditate/ Pray
Both these practices can be non-religiously affiliated as much as they can be part of an organized religion. There is no designated posture for meditation or prayer, your eyes can be opened or closed. All they require is focus on something: gratitude for your life, a particular struggle you have been going through, the present moment, or even on nothing at all. If you believe in some kind of higher power you can talk to him/her/it/them. You could have a casual conversation, ask for guidance, you could even make a wish, but I would imagine it will only come true if that’s what you were already meant to have. One of my favorite meditative practices is to just empty my mind and then watch what thoughts flow through. Meditation and prayer are exactly what you make of them.
Art
This is about as open a term as meditation. Art is any type of creation. What do you want to apply your creativity to? Wood work, painting, drawing, writing, yoga, stacking rocks, singing, juggling, yo-yos, magic tricks, cooking, crafting, or making a scrapbook of your pet and everything else are all viable options. Is there something that you want to do that you’ve never tried before? Even better! You can bet your sweet tuchus there is a YouTube tutorial for that. The only limit to art is how you limit art.
Take a Nap
Sometimes you just have to sleep. For whatever reason, none of these things are an option. You don’t want to revert to mindlessly scrolling through your phone, so what’s the best option? Just shut your body down for a bit to recharge. Keep in mind, this option has the easiest potential to flip from soulful to soulless. Naps are to recharge yourself so you can get back into the day. Naps swing into the dark side of duality when they are viewed as an escape from the ills of the day. When naps are used as an escape they become a drug, which is OK in moderation; just remember to check yourself J.
