No problem problems
It has been raining almost constantly the last couple of days here in Sweden. Which is actually a good thing for the house inspection work I do. If a roof is leaking, it will almost always reveal itself in the attic on days like this.
One of the clients I met today was convinced her roof was leaking. I went up to the attic and looked around, but there wasn’t a single sign of moisture. I even used a moisture meter to be sure and it was, as we say in Sweden, snustorrt (dry as snus, which is funny since snus is actually moist).
Anyway, I explained to her there was nothing indicating a leak.
— But it’s a problem, she said.
— No, there’s no problem, I replied.
— Yes, there is. I’m worried.
I explained as gently as I could that this was not the kind of problem I could solve. It wasn’t even a real problem, just a mind-made one.
I suggested she put some paper on the floor up there. Check it whenever worry came creeping back. That calmed her down and she thanked me for both the visit and the advice.
It’s surprisingly common that I visit “problem houses” where the only real issue is the idea that something is wrong. People even tell me they have physical symptoms because of the thought of a problem. And I believe them. Truly.
That’s how powerful the mind is. But our awareness is even more powerful.
We don’t have to believe everything that little voice in our head tells us. We can observe those tiny attic monsters without feeding their story. And when we shine the light of awareness into that dark attic, we see the truth: there were never any monsters there to begin with.