Maybe this idea will help somebody else. I was feeling weird this morning so I left work and parked my car in a McDonald's parking lot trying to decide if I wanted to buy something. Just sitting there staring I began to notice details in the plants around me and bird noises, and that helped me feel better.

I've noticed the benefits of sitting and observing nature before, but it's hard to remember this trick when I am feeling depressed. I tend to stumble onto it by accident. (I think this is similar to meditation, but I am not able to meditate in the typical ways.)