What Would Sherlock Do?

I have, in the past, made brief reference to my side-hobby of being a Sherlockian.  Truth is, I haven't really got the time for it now, but I have every intention of being a devoted Sherlockian when I retire.  For now, I just sit on the sidelines, have an occasional re-read of a favorite story, and (when I have a few minutes to spare) read what the real Sherlockians are up to.

One of the things Sherlockians frequently do is put together a poll along the lines of, "What is the best thing you've learned from Sherlock Holmes?"  And most of the answers are fairly standard things along the lines of "eliminating the impossible" and various other methods.  The polls always seem to omit the one lesson of Holmes's that I return to frequently -- what I like to call the Sherlock Holmes Rule of Stress Management.

Picture Holmes, in the middle of a difficult case.  He ponders, he reasons, he reaches a tentative conclusion.  He sends off a telegram that will either confirm or destroy his theory.  He then ... goes to the opera.  Or has a nice leisurely meal.

That's right.  The man don't stress.  Once he has gone as far as he can go with the information at hand, he just sets things aside and enjoys life ... until such time as new information has made itself available and he can return full concentration to the case.

I come back to this idea frequently, as it is a principle I have not yet mastered.  For example, once I sent off the letter of complaint to the crown molding people, I tried mightily to get it out of my head and enjoy my vacation -- but the damn thing kept creeping back to the outskirts of conscious thought at the most inopportune times.  So, I would just picture Holmes at the opera, and try to lock the problem away until it was time to concentrate on it again. 

I think he is rather better at it than I am.  Then again, it could have something to do with him being, y'know :::looks around hurriedly, lowers voice to whisper::: fictional.