Trash Talkers

We all know them. They are the individuals who, fueled by their own insecurities, specialize in negativity and putting down others for self elevation. These are not the type of people you want in your life. They will bring you down and eventually they will suck you into their constant pessimism. They seem to talk constantly behind others back. If they have an issue or a problem they use their energy to gossip rather than talk to the person they are spreading rumors about.

In my personal experience, though one of these individuals is toxic, when they come in the form of a group it can be especially venomous. They can bring you down with their constant hearsay. Their negativity seems to fester and feed off of one another. It is pretty easy to make a choice to avoid this people if they are only casual acquaintances. However sometimes it is not that easy. Sometimes they come in disguise as members of your “inner circle”. Often they are part of your family or somehow heavily entwined in work or social life. This makes them not only harder to immediately identify but also much more difficult to get rid of once you discover them.

My question for you is at what point do you cut ties with these people? How many chances do you give a "loved one" before you say enough is enough?