After observing how nature and art are implemented in the healing process, I unconciously and conciously implemented some of the techniques that I saw on myself. While in London, after a frustrating day at my internship at the Whittington Hospital, I would walk around Shoreditch (the street art district in London) or one of the many royal gardens and it would make me feel better, more relaxed. After I got back from London, I spent some time in the hospital for health reasons and I was given an adult coloring book which calmed my anxiety. During the Fall 2015 semester I started to get houseplants. All of these things were done subconsciously and I can personally say that they worked for me during stressful times. Art and nature distracted me enough to get my mind off of the stress that I was experiencing and ultimately helped me in the long run. Consciously, I started to practice my own art more. The images to the left are paintings and drawings that I have been able to complete since my capstone began and I started to experience a lot of anxiety. 

These methods helped me be clear minded about my decision to switch career paths. When I decided to stop persuing a career a physician assistant, a lot of the anxiety that I was feeling fell away. 

The knowledge that I have gained from my capstone experience makes me think about how I can incorporate both nature and art into my role as an occupational therapist while helping patients through their healing processes. From my experiences alone, I know that no path is as straightforward and that there is no one way to heal. There are many twists and turns on any journey that is worth taking and the challenges that we face often lead to where we are meant to end up. It is okay for things to change, nothing is perfect and so nothing should be expected to end perfectly. After all, perfect is a relative term that we all have to define for ourselves.