The viral Scream Club trend that has taken social media by storm has hit the UK streets, including London, Manchester and Birmingham. An attendee speaks to the Mirror about the benefits
When life gets tough, naturally all you want to do is scream. Whether it’s work stress, or family matters, or troubles with your partner, all these issues can lead you to just want to let it out.
A group of people have taken that quite literally and created their own, ‘Scream Club’. The trend first began on TikTok in Minnesota, USA. People met up in a public area with the aim of just screaming. From there, it started popping up all over and hit the UK like Manchester, Birmingham and London.
The London event took place at Primrose Hill, on World Mental Health Day, 10 October. One attendee of the London event spoke to The Mirror to share her thoughts and why she went.
Sevde Ozdemir, originally from Istanbul, Turkey, recently moved to London for her Masters’ degree. She told the Mirror why she went. She said: “Everything was hectic, the whole process, managing my studies. So when I saw the announcement on my for you page, I said okay that’s a sign for me to attend it and relieve all my stress.
London Scream Club event
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She continued: “Then I just screamed all of my stress out at the top of my lungs.”
The immediate impact after she screamed everything out was, “quite therapeutic” and she felt “an emotional weight lifted up from [her] shoulders.”
When asked if she went with anyone she said she just showed up on her own and she even “bonded with some of the other girls there, that came alone as well.”
Sevde shared how she enjoyed the event and how she would like to attend more in the future. She said: “I would definitely go, to relieve my stress, because it’s quite stressful the life in London. Everything is in a rush.”
What are people saying online?
The online debate is quite varied with some agreeing with the event and saying it is a form of therapy. Others online have disagreed and are questioning why this is necessary. They say it is disruptive and definitely not therapy.
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Sevde in response said: “I cannot say I completely disagree with them because it’s kind of weird for the people who were coming to chill in the park as well as for the residents.”
She added: “But I feel like once in a while it would be acceptable. Since it was held on World Mental Health Day, it’s create awareness on it. Because in many cultures, people neglect their mental health and social norms doesn’t support having dialogue.
“So we can all come together to become vulnerable. But it might create a problem if it was a regular thing, but just once in a while.”
She was shocked and said how crazy it was that it went viral. She has seen in her comments people have calling for it in countries all over the world, such as Norway, Denmark and Nigeria.
What safety measures are needed?
Sevde did recognise that there is a need for safety protocols at these events. Especially as she said she saw that the original Scream Club in Minnesota “got out of control”. She said: “It is really hard to manage all those people for the safety and security reasons as well.”
When asked what measures need to be taken, she said there should systems in place so as not bother other people. She suggested that there should “maybe [be] a time limit” to the screaming.
The massive turnout shocked her. She said: “I was expecting like 20 people max and I thought it might be awkward because I [was] going to go by myself.” But when she went she discovered that there were “600 plus” who had showed up to scream in the park. She said: “It was full of people.”
When asked why she thinks other people turned up, Sevde shared: “I heard one of the girls said [that] at work everything was getting too much. And one of the girls said she was having family issues.”
What changes need to be made?
Screaming in a park to let off steam is an extreme reaction to stress. So, what can be done to ensure that it doesn’t come to this? Sevde emphasised how important it is to take care with managing stress, emotions and mental health.
She said: “I think seeking professional help is really helpful, seeing a therapist… [or] having a chat with friends, loved ones. It definitely helps.”
The London Scream Club plans to hold more events in the future, though no dates have as yet been confirmed.
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