Chicago’s Scream Club offers stress relief with a shout into Lake Michigan

Every Sunday evening at Chicago’s North Avenue Beach, the sound of collective shouting echoes across Lake Michigan – not from protestors, but from Scream Club Chicago, a group gathering to relieve stress by screaming into the open air.

The club was founded this summer by Manny Hernandez, a life transformation coach and breathwork practitioner who recently moved to Chicago from Los Angeles.

“I think this is a good way for us to be able to, in a healthy way, release whatever we have going on inside out into the void, and then reduce that pressure that we have inside,” Hernandez said.

The idea began in June during what Hernandez described as a bad day.

“I was having a real bad day with my partner one day. We were walking by the lake and I just said to her, ‘Hey, do you want to go scream by the lake?’ And she was like, ‘Yes, let's do it,’” he said.

Hernandez said what began as a spontaneous moment soon attracted others. A few bystanders agreed to join him and his partner in screaming into the lake, and some became emotional during the experience. Afterward, he told his girlfriend they should turn the idea into something bigger – and Scream Club was born.

Hernandez leads participants through breathing exercises before encouraging loud, cathartic screams.

“Picture us like a pressure cooker, and cortisol builds up in our bodies all the time if you're stuck in traffic, if you are having relationship issues, if you're having financial issues, whatever it is, the political climate right now. And I think that if you don't find a healthy way to let it go, then what happens is when the pressure cooker gets too pressurised, right, it explodes,” he said.

Alexander Ruvalcava, a 31-year-old heavy metal musician, said the ritual has become an outlet.

“What's bringing me back out here really is that there are things I'm ready to let go of that I finally have an outlet where I can get it out of my system,” he said.

“After doing this, I become more happier, a lot happier. In fact, I get to meet a lot of people who are going through different things, and you know, there's no judgement here. It's just a few people getting it out of their system.”

Hernandez says he plans to keep growing the club as more Chicagoans look for new ways to relieve stress.

Calm, a respected meditation and wellness platform, notes that while scientific evidence is limited, the physical act of screaming may trigger the release of “feel-good chemicals” and help relieve tension, sometimes reducing stress and anxiety temporarily. However, some psychologists have said it could also increase aggression or worsen symptoms if overused as it doesn't address the core reasons behind the stress and anxiety.

The advice from experts is to seek professional help and advice to see if it's the right type of therapy for you.

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