I'm also a self proclaimed Buddhist. I don't believe in the more spiritual parts of it. But I do have a small shrine with a Buddha, some incense, candles, and some water (for Buddha). It's mostly just the practice of replacing the water and meditating everyday that helps. Like pseydtonne said, the most important part of meditating is just to start. Clear your mind. Let thoughts come and go but don't focus on any of them or give them any critical thought. It's just kind of "standing back" and letting things happen around you and staying still and calm.

In Buddhism, "want" leads to "suffering", and you can remove a lot of suffering from your life by removing the wants. You shouldn't want things, and I don't mean that in a material sense. Want a better job? Either get one, start working towards it, or forget about it, but it shouldn't be somehting that brings you down. Want a girlfriend? Start talking to girls and working towards it or forget about it, it shouldn't cause you pain one way or the other.

Alan Watts is another author I'd recommend for Buddhism if you're interested in it. He has a very westernized way of explaining the eastern practice of Zen Buddhism. His books are very eye opening. The three I recommend are The Way of Zen, The Wisdom of Insecurity, and The Book. All by Watts.

For clarification, I'm not religious at all. Buddhism to me is about mental and thought practices, and lifestyle changes that make me feel better everyday about whatever is going on and who I am.