Why is bowel movements so difficult to talk about?
Of course, there are the obvious reasons: smell, appearance, and the fact that poop is the body's way of getting rid of waste. However, we still encourage you to bring up the brown gold – not necessarily over the dinner table or as pillow talk, but as part of a health routine with those closest to you.
All people shit
All humans and animals shit. It can also be expressed like this: if you are alive and thus consume food and liquid, then you will produce waste products that are excreted as what we know as feces.
For you mathematicians, the equation looks like this: Food + fluid in = waste out. Pretty simple and completely natural.
It's easier said than done, but we hope to help you a little in your open communication about bowel movements going forward. There's nothing to be embarrassed about when it comes to going to the toilet and emptying your back . A visit to the toilet makes sounds, that's just how it is. Think of it as being the same as breathing - that is, from the opposite end and with very bad breath. That's the other thing: yes, it smells when you have a bad breath. After all, it's waste products leaving your body. Not just waste products like your urine (which can also smell and that's also completely normal), but waste products that have first been eaten by you and then by your intestinal bacteria and then sorted out as useless to your body before they reach the end. If you think about it like that, then it's clear that it smells a little.
A ring(muscle) of friends
It may only be your inner circle of friends and family members, the ones you trust the most and can tell everything to, that you talk about your bowel movements and toilet habits with. Talking about bowel movements and toilet habits doesn't mean you have to put on a big show in front of Susanne the next time you see her about how hard it was to hold in after eating a little too many Läkerols on the drive home from the course last week. Talking about your bowel movements and toilet habits simply means that you become more aware of what is normal.
Maybe you feel weird because you have a hard time doing chores at work, even when you really have to. Maybe you've even left work early just to go to the bathroom in a more familiar and calm environment. If you had talked to someone in your circle about this, you would know that you are completely and completely normal.
5 FIF's to avoid shame around your bowel movements
Train your bowel! You can train your bowel to pass stool at a time that suits you best. You just have to give yourself time to train it. Your bowel follows a natural circadian rhythm, where many people have a morning and/or bedtime ritual of visiting the toilet. Sit on the toilet, e.g. Every morning at 7:00 a.m. and wait 15 minutes – at some point your rectum will have changed its rhythm and you can now pass stool before the day's activities. Be aware that you should not sit and strain for 15 minutes, as this can cause hemorrhoids.
Always buy multiple packs of toilet paper when the shopping list says toilet paper. When you're out shopping and need toilet paper, many people assume that everyone else is thinking, "Well, you're going to go home and shit, right?" On the other hand, buying multiple packs is just showing that you're a responsible adult who's shopping for your toiletry stash - maybe throw a few boxes of cotton swabs in the basket.
A visit to the little house is noisy. That's it. That being said, it's good style to try to minimize your farts as much as possible. You can minimize the sound by putting some toilet paper in the bowl before you flush . For those with big buttocks, here are some words of wisdom: spread your buttocks while you push, it minimizes the sound.
Don't spray the restroom with perfume when you've had a shit . Nothing is worse than the smell of flowers mixed with poop – or worse yet, the smell of cotton candy mixed with poop. If you're going to shit, stick to it.
Are you worried that you spend too much time in the bathroom and that people will definitely know what you've been doing there ? Don't worry, your colleagues couldn't care less about anything than the fact that you've just been to the bathroom. As a general rule, you can ask yourself if you notice how many times Klaus from your workplace has been to the bathroom today. If you don't know how many times Klaus has, Klaus won't notice how many times, and for how long, you've been there either.
This was just the beginning of our new series about toilet habits and other crap :-) We hope you've been inspired to talk a little more about your toilet habits and care a little less about who knows what you do in the toilet.
We just say: Trust your gut.
