Using A Scream Box to Alleviate Anger, Fear and Stress
A Scream Box is a fun and effective way to vent some of those intense emotions that build up inside like anger, fear and stress. While breathing, physical activity and talking about it are great ways to help deal difficult emotions, sometimes you just need to scream! Handled correctly, this can be a therapeutic way to vent some of that frustration. Screaming however is not always socially acceptable or appropriate. That’s where the Scream Box comes in handy.
The pictures in this article are of a scream box my 13 year-old daughter made.
You can decorate your box however you want, but here are the basic steps:
1. Gather up the following ingredients:
– Cereal box (preferably an empty one).
– Cardboard tube from inside a roll of paper towels.
– Old newspaper or packing paper (regular paper or tissue paper can also work)
– Tape (duct tape works best, but packing tape will also suffice)
– Construction paper or wrapping paper to cover the cereal box
– Items to decorate your box (markers, pencils, stickers, glitter or whatever you want to use)
2. Pack the cardboard tube and the cereal box full of paper. This helps to muffle the sound when you scream.
3. Cut a whole in the top of the box just big enough for the tube to fit in.
4. Insert the tube into the hole and duct tape all the way around the area where the tube meets the box.
5. Decorate your box however you would like.
Using the box is also pretty simple. When you’re frustrated or angry or stressed and other calm down techniques aren’t working, just pull out your scream box and scream into the cardboard tube. It doesn’t totally eliminate sounds, but it will muffle your screams and still let you “get it out.”
Post a picture of your scream box in the comments below so we can see what it looks like!
For more awesome resources for learning about and dealing with emotions, please visit our Hope 4 Hurting Kids Emotions Help Center.
