Just as gossip can bring you closer to others or help you reevaluate your situation, it can also save you from yourself. We’re living through a deeply tense and confusing time; anyone is capable of lashing out or saying things they wouldn’t ordinarily say after even a moment's consideration. Having a safe space with people you trust to get this energy out saves any risk of misinterpretation, unnecessarily hurt feelings or being hounded on social media. Not only that, it gives you that little bit of space to consider if there are any grounds for the gossip you're sharing and to think about how you really feel before being swept up in a Twitter tirade against someone you’ll never meet.