Pictured above is a plant called Kudzu. It is an invasive plant; creeping, coiling, and climbing until it has taken over every square inch of the space surrounding it. Kudzu doesn’t take over all at once. It does it slowly and over a period of time.
When working with myself and my clients, I call this “the creep”. Little by little clutter begins to pile up in an area of your house. It doesn’t come in all at once, it accumulates slowly over time. A stack of mail, a stack of papers to file, a stack of magazines you are planning to read, a stack of clean clothes, a stack of dirty clothes. It goes on and on. Stuff begins to creep in small doses until one day you wake up surrounded by disorder and confusion.
“The creep” happens in our minds, too. Little by little thoughts begin to enter our mind and take root. I’m too fat. I’m too skinny. My eyes are too close together. My eyes are too far apart. I’m stupid. I’m not good enough. I’m a failure. I can’t. I should be……. I’m worthless. Someone makes a statement about us and we believe it. Someone else makes a statement about us and we believe it. We take on other people’s words as truth and never examine the words and our thoughts. The thoughts creep in, take over our minds and live there and we filter the messages and events of our lives through these untruths.
Just like Kudzu “the creep” is hard to kill but not impossible. It takes consistent, determined attention to cure and eradicate “the creep”. It requires paying attention to what is creeping into your home and mind. Time, focus and vigilance are needed to destroy “the creep”.
“The creep” happens, but “the creep” can unhappen by doing what you can, when you can, the best you can. Pay attention to what has already crept into your life and to what may be quietly creeping in now.
Don’t let “the creep” in…..it’s creepy 🙂