be more scarlett : think about it tomorrow

I recently went for a walk in Tatton Park, Cheshire. I hardly noticed my surroundings because I was too busy chewing over an issue – really at it, like a terrier dog. Head down, I marched along, getting more worked up with every step.

I’d gone the length of one of the meres and saw a favourite bench ahead. It was decision time. My head and heart were too full. I needed to do something.

I decided to allow myself some thinking time on the bench but once I got up, that was it. Never mind if I hadn’t resolved things. That would be enough for today. I’d think about it tomorrow.

And it worked! When I set off walking again, I left my problems behind. Now I could enjoy the park in the early evening sun.

I call this ‘Doing a Scarlett’, after the heroine of ‘Gone With The Wind’. Rather than wrangling with a problem in her head, Scarlett O’Hara chooses to lay it aside. It’s a choice; that’s the key. Rather than being at the mercy of our thoughts, it’s a way of taking back control.

Whatever we call it – parking the problem, sleeping on it – it can be an effective coping strategy. Let's face it, we’re unlikely to come up with the best solutions while we’re upset. Better to put our troubles aside for a time and come back afresh. After all, tomorrow is another day.