The Stigma With Poop, Pooping & Poop Talk
Let's talk about what most people avoid... POOP!
YEP!
Poop, ca-ca, excrement, turd, feces, bowel movement, do-do, stool, crap, log, BM, #2!
I know, I know... it's gross!
Here is the thing... it's one of those things everyone does! So why are we so darn touchy about the subject?
This whole poop stigma has gotten old and I say it's time we start challenging some of the dialogue that is going along with it.
Poop humour
Poop humour has been strong and well for a long time and truthfully who doesn't love a good fart joke... unless it is at the expense of our health.
Humour is often a good way to hide insecurity and truthfully this whole poop humour is likely just that. The only way we seem to be able to discuss this topic is behind clothes doors or with a little humour mixed in.
I'll never forget growing up visiting my Uncle. He would come up to you and say "Pull my finger" and then he would let'r rip! I'll never forget the first time he "pulled" this one on me and I fell for it hook, line and sinker. I was embarrassed to say the least. Humour wasn't something I was used to being around and yet he just hit this topic dead on the nose and truthfully I didn't know what to do, so the whole family laughed it off (awkwardly) and moved on. This joke never got old for my uncle and I saw him pull it off on many more people.
Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with having a good laugh and laughing at poop, the problem becomes when that is the end of the conversation.
Isn't it interesting that this is the only way we seem to briefly skim the topic? When's the last time you sat down and chatted about your bowel health and poop with your family or a friend? I'm going to encourage you to do that! Seriously!
Perhaps this WHOLE thing is uncomfortable because we don't want to become the butt of someone's joke or maybe the truth is we have not developed the language, understanding and even maturity to have intelligent conversations on the topic. Either way the topic requires more discussion.
"Ladies don't poop"
We seem to have been given the impression at some point along the road that ladies don't poop (or at least we like to think so). It's also not appropriate for us to fart, sweat (um, we glow, didn't you know?!) or smell because apparently we are to smell like flowers. This definitely isn't being talked about and perhaps you as a woman have never been told this directly, however it all too often remains deep in our thoughts which never be spoken! So, of course we feel ashamed to poop, of course we want to hide it, it's not "lady like".
There is so much shame held around the topic that one of the number one things I hear from women is they are scared to poop in front of their husbands or significant other. Now you may have been fortunate enough to break through some of this fear and comfortably poop at home, but it's a rare occassion someone is ok having a chit chat with their hubby well taking a dump in the bathroom.
This doesn't just exist for women, don't think for a second that men are not affected by poop shame.
There is nothing gendered about pooping and to continue the stigma around this topic simply does a diservice to your health.
Why you need to give a shit about your poop
If you have ever struggled with keeping your shit together (you know diarrhea and constipation) then you may have experienced the tremendous amounts of overwhelm and frustration that comes from visiting the john. It's anxiety provoking to say the least. I mean you are worried people...
know your pooping
smell your poop
hear you pooping
and THE worst... knowing how long you have been in the bathroom.
So you...
avoid food and drink to prevent a poop
try to hold it in for dear life to avoid the bathroom (public washroom especially)
or just don't leave the house out of embarrassment and fear of where the closest toilet will be and that you will end up there.
It leaves you feeling...
like you have zero control of your body and life
and missing out on social events
and you body? Funny you should ask! This whole poop anxiety has your body in a mess, in fact studies have shown that the following can come from anxiety/stress alone, not to mention holding in your poop (um... that can't be good!).
your body struggles to deal with the burden of excess toxins building up in the body from holding in your poops leaving you with brain fog and fatigue.
the high stress and anxiety of the situation ends up creating or worsening diarrhea or constipation...
depletes your enzyme production
increases leaky gut and intestinal permeability
depletes good bacteria
This is NO WAY TO LIVE!
It's so much more than just learning how to talk about poop. Poop, is a snap shot of exactly what is going on within your body, so talking about poop, looking at your poop, supporting healthy poops, is critical to your health and well being. It is an absolute non-negotiable.
If we can't raise our level of knowledge and maturity on the matter of poop, then we can't reduce the stigma that many with bowel disorders feel. Normalizing the conversation around our bodily functions just makes sense and needs to happen, like yesterday!
