There is a difficult coworker at my job. She is fairly nice, relatively polite, and certainly means well. But she has some difficult and sometimes insufferable personality traits.
Since I am very polite and generally a sympathetic and empathetic person she has attached herself to me a bit. I also defend her when others mock her behind her back because (as I tell these mockers) I don't think she can help it. I don't think she can read facial expressions or detect tone of voice.
This coworker will talk your ear off about things you literally have zero reason to care about, usually a fairly obscure hobby she is really into.
She also complains and complains and complains. Now, I will gripe here and there like everyone else; and I will make jokes about certain aspects of my workplace (favoritism, working in a windowless basement, having a totally detached set of ghost bosses, and all the pointless meetings). But this coworker can pull the wind out of everyone's sails -- even mine! That is a feat.
People dread talking to her and avoid interacting with her.
Any thoughts on what to do?
If there was an excellent and helpful way to deal with her on the individual and group levels that would go a long way in simplifying and easing my work.