Don’t Hold Your Farts In

Imagine you are at work, amongst all of your coworkers and just doing some busywork at your computer. You feel something rumbling inside you, perhaps because you ate a whole bunch last night, or perhaps because you at something at breakfast that upset your stomach. You have the urge to let it all out, but when it all is said and done, you squirm around, suck your stomach in, and hold it in. In case you couldn’t tell, I was talking about the potential of passing gas, and unlike my story, holding it in is the last thing you should do!

Farting is a 100% natural and in fact healthy phenomenon that literally everyone does! Men do it, women do it, children do it, and the elderly do it too. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it, and no one would be surprised in the slightest if you were to pass gas in front of them. The most common reason that people are hesitant to pass gas in public is because there is a general connotation that farts are stinky. But that isn’t always the case.

While farts are definitely dependent on what you eat, it would take a very particular diet to have a fart that smells anything remotely close to unbearable. For example a diet high in protein and low in vegetables could cause your farts to smell like rotten eggs on occasion, but even that isn’t typically an issue unless you suddenly change to that sort of diet after long bouts of a more balanced diet.

But even if your fart isn’t likely to smell all that bad, the very connotation of farts being stinky will still cause you to be hesitant to fart in public. Even if you let out a totally odorless fart, if it is distinctly audible, anyone who hears it will get the impression that you let out a stinky fart, even though it didn’t smell at all. In summary, farts are generally considered to be negative in social settings, whether it actually smells, or just makes a lot of noise.

But those social constructs regarding the farts shouldn’t dictate when and where you pass gas. If you know that everyone does it, why should it make any difference when or where you do it as well? Think of it this way – if someone looks at you funny for passing gas in public, they should just be considered a hypocritical loser who can’t accept the simple fact that even he or she farts from time to time. At least you on the other hand would have the guts to do as soon as you have the urge to do so, regardless of where you are at that very moment in time.

While having a bold and shameless attitude about farting is great though, there is perhaps a more important reason not to hold your farts in. Although most people don’t put into much though as to what causes farts in the first place, the truth is that your gas is an important aspect of your overall bodily functions, and disrupting your body’s natural desire to let that gas out can lead to undesirable (if not outright unpleasant) consequences.

Needless to say, holding in farts is not just about one thing or another. It is about feeling good about yourself from both an emotional standpoint as well as from a physical one. Passing gas is perfectly normal, and that shouldn’t stop you from letting loose when you feel the need to do so, especially if doing otherwise could lead to negative consequences to your body (albeit relatively minor consequences at that). So the next time you feel a fart coming on, I urge you to simply let it out without a second thought!