The coronavirus pandemic has been frustrating, to say the least. People are furloughed and losing their jobs, the economy has taken a downturn and we’re in desperate need of a holiday.
A survey has found that 45 per cent of Brits are feeling increasingly stressed, frustrated and tense due to lockdown and 31 per cent of us are ‘left wanting to scream’.
While screaming in our flats could alarm our neighbours, Iceland has come up with a better solution.
It wants you to record your screams of frustration (hopefully in a soundproof space) and it will release them, through massive speakers, into some of its most remote locations - including the peak of Festarfjall in Reykjanes Peninsula and the Skógarfoss waterfall in the south.
Iceland’s tourism board has launched ‘Let It Out’ which will allow people across the world to record their screams over the next two weeks and then hear the screams played in real time over a live stream.
Psychotherapist Zoe Aston, says: “The events of this year mean most of us have experienced increased feelings of frustrations, fear, loneliness, anger or guilt, and we have all coped in different ways. Left with a backlog of emotion, we need to find healthy and effective ways of creating a release in order for us to move forward into our new normal.
“Using a scream as a way to release pent up emotion allows you to reconnect with yourself, hear your own voice and reclaim the power that is inside you. Releasing pent up emotion is not an invitation to attack, influence or express aggression; it is a way to become aware of your feelings and take a step towards being kind to yourself.”
Sigríður Dögg Guðmundsdóttir, Head of Visit Iceland, adds: “Across the world, people have been through a lot in the last few months. We empathise and want to do what we can to help people relieve their frustrations. In Iceland, we are lucky enough to have vast open spaces and beautiful nature that is the perfect place to let out frustrations. We feel this is just what the world needs. And when people are ready to resume traveling, they can come and experience it for themselves.”
To find out more about the Let It Out scheme, visit lookslikeyouneediceland.com
