I have made a decision recently to cut a hurtful and negative person out of my life. The problem is, I also work with him. I fear that being around him might trigger old scripts in me, which would leave me the silent victim of his negativity. I have already exchanged words with him about my not hanging out with him any more, and while he was very negative, I simply told him that he was being very negative and hurtful, without getting drawn into his very obvious hurtful and desperate grasping. He is not supportive. In fact, he will openly criticize and belittle anything I (or anyone else) does that conflicts with whatever he happens to want at the moment. I believe that my tolerance for this behavior came from being around my mother as a child, as she acts very similarly to him.

So I'm wondering, how can I remain on the path when I have to work with him? I'm scared of losing my way if I even talk to him. I hope that some day he'll just become "that negative coworker," and that this won't bother me all the time.

Thank you for your time