Struggling with Gossip: Seeking Guidance

As-salamu alaykum, I'm having a hard time with something and I hope you can offer some advice. I don't consider myself a person who speaks ill of others behind their backs, but I catch myself talking about people when they're not around. If someone makes fun of another person in front of me, I try to stop them or remove myself from the situation. However, I struggle to resist discussing others when they're not present. I'm not trying to say anything bad or focus on their negative qualities, I just find myself talking about them. I want to work on being more mindful of this and I'd appreciate any suggestions on how to overcome this habit.