Whether or not the red shirts accept Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's "road map", the damage has been done - to all of us. Look at yourself in the mirror. Notice any change? Maybe it's not too obvious, but that's a very troubled stranger staring back at you.
I wish the psychiatrists could tell us something we don't know. Of course, we are all in the deep, mentally, thanks to our politics. This collective illness manifests itself in my dreams, on my Facebook wall, on many of the "tweets" I've received (which require sheer willpower to get past the 70th character), and in the fact that my blood pressure shoots up every time a conversation partner simply utters "But, don't you think...?" when discussing the red shirts.
So, the little TV in my office barely evaded my rage when one shrink ended an interview without offering any real solution. Yeah, stop watching the news. How cheap is that advice? Nowadays, the news will find you, remember?
Since our mental health personnel can hardly be counted upon - hell, some of them could in fact be among those sending me digital abuse - I've decided to take matters into my own hands. Here's what I think is a practical list of Dos and Don'ts to avoid being over-stressed politically:
First and foremost, you have to get a temporary divorce from Facebook, Twitter and other social media. Don't yell. Listen. And do it now. Just let morning glory in Farmville wither and pizza in Cafe World rot. You absolutely have no idea how many years of your life have been taken away by Facebook's status updates from political zealots - and your equally zealous replies.
Shut off your mobile phone and go trekking. Explore the jungles. And I mean "Heart of Darkness" jungle, not lovers' paradise wilderness as in "Seven Days, Seven Nights". Avoid places like Pai, Koh Tao or Koh Kood because otherwise the first thing you'll do will be to look for an Internet cafe.
You can stay home and watch DVDs. Just be careful with your choices. I know someone who was struck down by a migraine while watching the natives armed with primitive weapons kicking soldiers' butts in Avatar.
Try yoga. Again, be very selective about which group you join. We have heard of some yoga practitioners forming a "No House Dissolution" group. No, kidding. (Same warning for people who want to go trekking, as I've just seen on TV a lot of elephants holding "Peace, Please" signs.)
Read magazines about home decor, gardening or even star gossip. Stay away from newspapers, although articles like this one are acceptable, even highly-recommended.
The World Cup is just a month away. Pick a team and turn yourself into a crazy fan. Try Brazil, Spain or any team with potential to reach the latter rounds so that you can be occupied for a long time.
A party is dangerous, and a reunion party even more so. There are numerous cases of long-lost friends who found each other on Facebook but couldn't make it through the third video sharing. Those people got a break there because they did not have to meet in person, so don't make the mistake of trying to see for yourself how your high-school sweetheart looks now.
If you need to take a cab, pretend to fall asleep right away after telling your destination.
If you are a red and have to listen to your boss singing Abhisit's praises, fake a few coughs and tell him or her you feel like you've contracted Swine flu. (Can also apply to yellow subordinates enduring red supervisors.)
Load your iPod with harmless songs. Philosophical ones like "Dust In the Wind" are fine but the likes of "We Are the Champions" can drive you back to your stupid computer and the FB account.
If your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband or wife is of the opposite colour, naturally it will be hard to stay away from them. So, let's play some no-politics games. The loser is the one who first opens his/her mouth about any subject political, and who shall be punished by . . . well, that's down to your own creativity.
When all else fails, Buddhism can be the last resort. It tells us to think again when we have the urge to change the world.
Leave the job to earthquakes, melting glaciers or Texas-sized asteroids. That's exactly what "we all were created equal" means - we can't do what those things can.