Meditation or Prayer
I am an atheist, and I believe that prayer works.
Prayer can bring a peaceful, centered state of mind, because it is a form of meditation. As such, it gives security and consolation.
Meditation, proven to alter brain states, clears the mind and calms the person. It calms those around the meditator. When you meditate and then take this state of calmness throughout your day, this affects the chemistry between you and others. In turn, meditating literally affects the brain chemistry of not only you, but those around you.
I spent twelve years as a devoted Christian having what we called "Quiet Times" studying the Bible, reading books based on it, and praying. I found that the more meditative my quiet times were, the more benefit they had— in other words, it was not the prayer that helped me, but the state of mind that came with it. When I discovered this and then left Christianity, I decided at first to act like I was praying but meditate instead, as I realized that God was not real. This worked as I developed my meditation practice. I kept having morning quiet times, just without poring over only books based on one ancient work of fiction such as the Bible.
No longer did I rely on a preacher to tell me how I should live. There was no more fear of sin or Hell because I now realized that those things were not real, just as Christ was not real. I had developed a morning practice of meditation, and now I realized that this was far better than any prayer could be.
When one prays, willingly or not any negative indoctrination that came along with how they were taught and influenced through prayer can take over. This indoctrination may prove harmful to one's wellbeing, whether they are aware of it or not. Most preachers are not entirely factual, and congregants tend to follow in their footsteps. The 'sheep' follow the 'shepherd'.
Yet we are not sheep. We need no shepherd, we need fellow people to morally support us. Leaders need not rely on ancient fiction to guide us, we have modern nonfiction. We can get guidance from much more reliable, accurate sources, without priests telling us how to interpret them.
Meditation should take a prominent spot in the lives of those who think that prayer works. You may find that all you need is to meditate.