If you’ve ever been to Iceland, then you know it’s one of the most beautiful places on earth. Their tourism board is also very clever in showcasing their natural beauty and getting people to visit.
Iceland’s newest campaign is called “Let It Out” and it’s an initiative that invites everyone to record their screams of frustration and release them into Iceland’s jaw-dropping wide-open spaces. It’s inspired by the practice of ‘scream therapy’ and the fact that 42% of Americans say COVID restrictions make them want to scream. Let It Out captures their screams, yells and shouts from around the world and releases them through speakers located in seven stunning and remote locations across the island, from the peak of Festarfjall in Reykjanes Peninsula to the roaring Skógarfoss waterfall in the south.
For the next two weeks, people worldwide can visit lookslikeyouneediceland.com to let it all out and, with Iceland’s uniquely spacious surroundings and seemingly endless landscapes, the only noises you’ll have to compete with are nearby waterfalls and crashing waves of the ocean.
It’s going on for the next couple weeks and you do need to give permission to their website to access your microphone. After you record your scream, it will tell you one of the seven places your scream will be broadcasted. After you hit send, you will need to fill in your screen name, city and country and it, along with hundreds, if not thousands of others, will randomly appear on their website so others can listen. My scream will be blasted from speakers placed in Djúpivogur, East Iceland.
According to lookslikeyouneediceland.com’s website they’ve partnered with Zoe Aston, Psychotherapist & Mental Health Specialist who says in CAPS “SCREAMING AS A THERAPEUTIC TOOL WAS DEVELOPED IN THE 1970S AS A WAY TO RELEASE PENT-UP EMOTION. WHAT WE DON’T REALISE IS THAT THE PSYCHOLOGICAL RESPONSE TO WANTING TO SCREAM LIGHTS UP A PART OF OUR BRAINS CALLED THE AMYGDALA. THE AMYGDALA ACTIVATES WHEN WE ARE UNDER THREAT, SOMETHING WE HAVE ALL EXPERIENCED IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS.
“PART OF THE BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF SCREAMING COMES FROM BEING ABLE TO MAKE A LOUD NOISE INTO A WIDE, OPEN, UNDISTURBED SPACE. THIS LITERALLY ALLOWS YOUR AMYGDALA TO RELEASE THE STRESS STORED THERE AND MOVE FORWARD.”
Zoe goes on to say “HOW TO LET IT OUT:
- CONSIDER WHAT YOUR ‘SCREAM’ WILL BE. SOME PEOPLE WILL USE VOLUME, SOME WILL USE WORDS, SOME MAY EVEN USE BREATH.
- STAND WITH YOUR FEET HIP-WIDTH APART, A SLIGHT BEND IN YOUR KNEES. RELAX YOUR SHOULDERS. YOU MAY FIND IT USEFUL TO PUT YOUR HANDS ON YOUR HIPS OR USE YOUR ARMS TO HELP PUSH OUT SOME OF THE PENT-UP EMOTION. FOLLOW YOUR INSTINCTS.
- IMAGINE A BABY WHEN IT CRIES AND SCREAMS. THE NOISE COMES FROM THE BABY’S GUT. THIS IS WHERE YOUR SCREAM SHOULD COME FROM. IF IT HELPS, PUT YOUR HANDS ON YOUR BELLY AND TAKE A FEW DEEP BREATHS BEFORE YOU BEGIN.
THIS IS A STARTING POINT. IF YOU NEED MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU SEEK OUT PROFESSIONAL HELP.”
In addition to recording your scream on their website, you should probably video you doing it or better yet, your neighbors’ reactions when they hear you screaming.