Posted on by tasvidaya

Law of attraction: A door-opener to mental health struggles?

I know that you’re rolling your eyes right now, asking yourself, “Seriously, how can a scientist believe this mumbo jumbo?”. For those of you who are not rolling your eyes, thank you. The law of attraction (LOA) is a popular philosophy by William Walker Atkinson suggesting that positive thoughts bring positive results into a person’s life, while negative thoughts bring negative outcomes. There are 3 “simple” steps to follow the LOA:

  1. Ask the universe for what you want
  2. Believe you’ll get what you want
  3. Receive what you want

Amidst the Covid-19 lockdown level 5 in March 2020, I came across a book called The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne. This was the first time I was introduced to LOA or manifesting and honestly…I LOVED it. I realised how I had dug myself into deeper holes in the past by constantly dwelling on the negative thoughts, I’m going to fail, I’m not worthy of this person/award, I hate my life and so on. From that point onwards, my perspective on life had changed, I became more open, kind-hearted and most of all GRATEFUL for the life I was living.

Fast forward a couple of months, and guess what? I actually “manifested” something. It wasn’t exactly how I “saw” it happening, but it still happened anyway. I was definitely impressed by my ability to manifest, and it was something I now dedicated my life to.

Now if you’re familiar or have tried the LOA, the easiest step is of course no. 1 (ask the universe for what you want), the tricky part is no. 2 (believe you’ll get what you want). Excuse me, how do I believe that I am a billionaire? How do I believe that I am currently living in my dream home in my dream country? HELP! And that, ladies and gentlemen, is when my LOA journey ended, and my mental health issues started. I obsessed about making my manifestations happen, I would make sure I had positive thoughts in every moment, and any negative thought would be forcefully shoved away. I didn’t let myself breathe. Added to that, was my belief that every little inconvenience in my life was MY fault, because of my “energy and thoughts”. I can still remember my tipping point clearly. I had just found out that something I had been manifesting for a couple of months, wasn’t going to happen (stone-cold rejection). I got in my car, turned off the music, and cried relentlessly. For me, using the LOA caused me to spiral down and I knew that I needed to stop applying it in my daily life.

After this incident, I stopped using LOA and just…lived my normal life and at the beginning of this year I decided that I actually liked some of the habits that I once had, such as being grateful for what you have, being in the present instead of worrying about the future (and oh boy do I obsess about my future!), being a better human being and simply having faith in myself and the bigger picture. So, I started feeling the waters again. But this time, I made my own steps:

  1. Ask the universe for what you want
  2. Believe that you are worthy of what it is that you want
  3. Take a step in making this desire happen, plan or execute (work towards it)
  4. Allow yourself to know that it MIGHT NOT happen for you, and that’s okay
  5. Keep believing in yourself and being grateful for what’s in front of you right now

I’ve found that many people go through the same experience that I’ve had, I think that it is crazy to remain positive and have unwavering faith in yourself or dreams ALL THE TIME. For me, it just wasn’t possible. But I do believe that some of the habits that one may develop from LOA are healthy and lead to a more wholesome life. So, where do you stand on LOA?

Posted on by tasvidaya

The art of learning

Let me stop you right there. I’m not going to give you tips on how to ace your next exam, or the best method for memorising chemical formulas. Instead, I’m going to share with you one of the now-best experiences of my life, and from that, I’m sure you’ll get the “lesson” (see what I did there?).

Can you imagine studying the sun for 4 years of your life, and then, suddenly changing course to study the planet Earth? Seriously, who would be silly enough to do that? Me. I am said person. Although in my case, I studied biochemistry for 4 years and then suddenly decided to switch to cancer biology in my PhD. Crazy right?

“Yes, you’re crazy, so why make this switch in the first place?” After completing my Masters, I desperately wanted a change in my life, and I knew that it had to start with my PhD. I was always two-minded between biochemistry and cell biology. Since I experienced biochem, I decided to give the other field a shot (also, cancer research is really cool!). After being lucky enough to land a cool cancer project along with an empowering supervisor, the hard part began. I mean, how do you get a TERMINAL degree in a field you have absolutely no experience in (excluding the one or two undergrad practical’s)? You LEARN.

“So, she’s changed from biochemistry to cancer biology…Is that a big deal?” YES, in biochemistry I only dealt with proteins and the only time I worked with cells was to get my protein. On the other hand, EVERYTHING in CELL biology revolves around cells. Besides reading papers, designing experiments and the occasional pity-party, that’s about the only similarities between these two fields in terms of techniques.

Of course, I knew this would be a challenge, but oh boy was it the biggest challenge I ever experienced. Let’s start off easy:

  1. The proposal: From the years of scientific research experience, writing up a project proposal wasn’t too difficult considering I knew the basics to get me started. However, entering the field of cancer research was TOUGH, to say the least! I had dozens of papers and no clue where to start. Between you and I…I still can’t believe I pulled off that research proposal.

“How would you rate your experience?”

2/5. Not happy.

  • New team: Leaving my old research team was another toughie. During my first year of research, we usually came in a group to meet our new lab mates, so I was always comfortable knowing I had my usual peers around me. This time, it was different, it was just me, and yes, I was quite nervous about meeting these new people. But this experience turned out better than I had expected. Without having anyone to lean on, I was forced to become more extroverted than normal and within my first week, I was already feeling both comfortable and welcomed in my new setting. I realised how capable I am of breaking into new environments and forming relationships with those around me.

“How would you rate your experience?”

3.5/5. Feeling great.

  • Lab work: I’m not going to sugar‑coat this part. I killed my cells, I contaminated my cells, I used a colleague’s WHOLE bottle of media (by mistake OF COURSE), I incorrectly made-up cell stocks for the entire first month, and the list goes on. I laugh about it now, but at some point, during those times, I really felt like giving up. There were days where I questioned whether switching my field at this point in my academic career was the right move.

“How would you rate your experience?”

1/5. I’m crying myself to sleep.

Present day: Fast forward a couple of months and I’m proud to say that I am still here, standing tall. So, let’s re-evaluate those experiences, shall we?

  1. The proposal:

Achievements unlocked: The ability to read, understand and communicate science in more than one field (which I am currently proud to be using as a freelance scientific/medical writer 😊)

  • New team:

Achievements unlocked: Self-reliance, the ability to network and form interpersonal relationships, strengthened team-player skills.

  • Lab work:

Achievements unlocked: Training on new lab techniques, alternative data analysis methods, exposure to multiple lab environments. P.S. My cells are now healthy and alive.

So, whether it’s a new job, field of research or complete diversion from your usual activities, there is always one constant challenge, that is, to LEARN. It’s always tough at first, but the lessons prepare you for an amazing future. Of course, I still have a lot of challenges on the way, but as long as I continue to learn, then I have nothing to lose, right?