Find your love of the outdoors!

Hi everyone! My name is Heather, I am an OT student from the University of Toronto working with Alanna on the adult side of Davis Occupational Therapy. This will be my third placement, I am very excited to support the team in developing a program to support adults in the Toronto Area.

Growing up I spent all of my time outdoors. I loved to run through forest trails, explore new areas, swim at the beach, climb trees, build snow forts, and play at playgrounds. When I think back to childhood memories of being outdoors, I feel the warm sunshine on my face and can visualize my child self smiling. Being outside is the perfect environment to foster independence, curiosity, and a love of nature from a young age.

As I became an adolescent, I found myself spending more and more time indoors whether that was with friends, extracurricular activities, or school work. I remember losing some of my love for nature, fresh air and the warm sunshine on my face. But then, I began working at a summer camp where I spend all hours of the day outdoors for the next 6 summers. This job pushed me to start exploring the outdoors again, find new ways to enjoy time spent outside and how to share nature and sunshine with others. I regained my love for the outdoors, which has only continued to build.

With this new appreciation for the outdoors, I have learned to recognize the vast variety of activities that can be explored in nature. One of the most unique aspects of nature is the ability to use and appreciate nature in all points of your life.

Whether that be as an infant exploring sand for the first time, finally climbing to the top of a tree as a child, sharing forest trails with campers as a young adult, exploring mountains with your mom, as my mom exploring mountains with her daughter and now learning the benefits of incorporating nature into therapeutic practice.

When given the opportunity to help create a program for adults using nature as a therapeutic vehicle I was thrilled. Not only will I have the opportunity to learn how to create an occupational therapy program, but I will be able to incorporate my love of nature into the process. A main goal of mine with this new program is that we will be able to use nature in not only a therapeutic sense but to also help others regain and/or grow their love of nature.