How to avoid gossip when people around us engage in it?

Gossiping is a natural thing that people do. We often hear that gossip can be good, at times it can be bad. The problem with gossiping is not the act itself. The problem is when the act of gossiping gets out of hand.

Gossip is a common phenomenon found all around us in everyday life. It is said that, "a person who engages in malicious and destructive gossip," but what does this actually mean?

The use of words, pictures or behavior to break confidence, hurt feelings or spread rumor about someone else. Gossip is not always malicious but can be hurtful and the intent may not be to destroy the other person but more so to just share. However, it can take a more sinister form which involves exclusion from groups, exclusion from friendships and sometimes violence. This type of gossip is dangerous as it often goes hand in hand with bullying and harassment.

We may sometimes feel like we want to engage in gossip ourselves because it gives us a sense of power over others as well as feeling valued by peers for sharing rumors

—Recently I was on the bus and I overheard two people talking about a celebrity. They were discussing whether they were going to watch the upcoming movie based on a popular TV show. It was not just that they were excited about the upcoming release of the movie, but also how they could get their hands on tickets to it as soon as possible.

It is natural for people to be interested in what is happening around them, and it is often from others that we can find out information first. However, there are times when one might hear gossip about somebody else, which will eventually lead to negative thoughts about that person too. The key question here is how does one avoid hearing and reading gossip? Sadly, there is no definite answer to this question because it depends on each individual and their personality type.

We need to focus on our own thoughts and not the thoughts of others, as we have no control over what others will say. We should also take time out of our day to get away from all that negativity by doing something for ourselves that we enjoy. It is important to stay away from people who like to gossip and talk about other people. Finally, we need to be mindful of our own words and actions because they can lead others into talking about us and if they are not positive words or actions then it will only lead the person who hears them into a downward spiral.

Some people are more prone to gossip than others. It is something that we all do in one form or another. Gossiping is not a bad thing, as long as you keep it to a minimum. There are ways that you can avoid gossip when people around us engage in it.

One way to avoid gossip is to refocus the conversation on something different. This can seem difficult, but there really is no need for you to be involved in their drama if you don't have time for it. By redirecting the conversation, your brain will have a chance to think about something else and hopefully forget about what just transpired.

Another way that you can avoid gossip is by using humor as a distraction technique. If someone starts talking about some news story or celebrity scandal, then one way that

Don't take part in the gossip:

- listen or read it silently

- walk away

- hang up the phone call from a person who is gossiping to you.

Don't be rude but refuse to listen.

- Put your headphones on and enjoy music, podcast, or an audiobook.

Avoid the company of gossipers.

Reflect on our own lives and look for any possible connection we have to the story in question. Keep the facts of a story in context and resist the temptation to embellish it with anything that we know or feel about it. Cultivate silence, solitude, and self-examination.

When we interact with others, we're often faced with difficult choices. We are sometimes faced with people who are willing to share personal information that they don't want anyone else to know. When people engage in gossip, it's not uncommon for one person to ask the other person if they want to know how something is happening in their lives.

The way that we respond can either help or hurt us. The best way for us to avoid gossip is by saying no and letting them know why it bothers us. We can also say that we would like someone else to join the conversation because this will make it more difficult for them to disclose personal information about themselves or others without being directly asked what this information is about.

We are humans and it is natural for us to engage in gossip. But we should also be cautious about the people around us who indulge in it. They may not be conscious of the harm that they can potentially do to others.

The following tips will help you avoid engaging in gossip as much as possible:

- Be present in the moment and focus on what you are doing and your surroundings rather than assuming what other people are doing or thinking about them.

- Engage with people more to understand their perspective and get a clearer understanding of things before jumping to conclusions.

- If someone shares something with you, make sure that it is not sensitive information so that you don't expose them or others when speaking of it.

- Avoid sharing any secrets or stories that have been shared with you.

Hopefully by following these tips we can restrain ourselves, especially trying to refrain from slandering others.