Crap changes when you go to college. Literally and figuratively.
Williams College students are too afraid to talk about their gastrointestinal problems, and frankly, it’s important. I was prepared for the rigorousness of the academics in college. I also considered my eating habits and my general lifestyle adjustments that would inevitably occur while living with a roommate. I even reminded myself to keep my mind open to understanding different views on various social issues and life philosophies.
But the changes that hit the hardest were the small ones I did not know to be ready for.
Like the politics of comfortably relieving your bowels, for example.
Since arriving at Williams, I have tested out my pooping anxiety to the max. I’ve run to the other side of campus to use an empty public bathroom. I’ve gotten up extra early to use the toilet when I’d be guaranteed not to run into anyone. I’ve dug holes in the forest and stirred my feces with a stick (given, this was during a hiking trip). Something that used to be so comfortable, regular, and necessary was no longer comfortable – and this applies for things beyond just simple bodily excretions.
Going to a brand new environment like college, you bring with you not only the habits and preferences you’ve shaped for yourself over the past 18 years, but also a layer of self-consciousness and self-awareness surrounding your every action. You constantly question yourself and the way you do things, trying to find the context in which your actions fit. But this type of insecurity, as I’ve come to realize, just isn’t necessary after a certain point. It wears off after a while, when people realize that it is in fact possible to be comfortable being themselves and doing what they need to do, even in a brand new place.
My two cents about pooping is don’t worry too much about what you have to do (and ultimately who you have to be). But also, keep in mind that sometimes, an extra, conscious step in your process can go a long way to help everyone maintain a certain comfort level. Don’t be against changing something small for the better good.
In other words? We won’t hold it against you for stinking up the shared bathroom. We’ve all been there. But spritzing a little Poo-Pourri* in the toilet bowl before you drop your deuce would also be helpful and lovely – don’t let the fear of the smell stop you from pooping altogether.
*For those unfamiliar with this godsend of a product, Poo-Pourri is a fragrant spray that you spray in the toilet before you do your business. It coats the surface of the water and creates a film of sorts that “traps” the smell of your poop in the toilet bowl itself. (I recommend the Lavender Vanilla – 5 spritzes works like a charm.)