In praise of CAPSLOCK

We often overlook the therapeutic value of a good scream.I'm not talking about unleashing on a receptionist or call center operator or waitstaff or retail worker - that's just being a jerk. I'm talking about going into the middle of a field and screaming at the top of your lungs. At my alma mater, Northwestern University, we had a tradition on the Sunday night that kicked off Finals Week: The Primal Scream. At 9 p.m., all across campus, windows opened and people stuck their heads out and screamed. Even the library had a location where people could participate, I think.The point was, we had a lot of stress. We were (supposedly) high performers expected to get good grades. Classes were hard, as were the finals. Even those who studied the least among us spent days on end in carrells in the library, cramming in every last piece of knowledge we'd ignored all term. We needed a release.With a set time, no one would be startled by the screaming and it gave everyone a sense of belonging to a collective - reminding us all that we were in this together. We knew we weren't the only ones feeling all this stress.A friend of mine starting hosting a #CAPSLOCKTHURSDAY thread on Facebook a year or so ago. She'd stolen the idea from a friend, who'd stolen the idea from another friend, and so on. I thought it was funny, because sometimes I do have to post a word or so in all-caps when I feel passionate on a subject. After a while, I thought it would be fun to host my own capslock thread.The funny thing about reading something in all-caps is that in your mind, as you're reading it, you're shouting it. Because the members of the thread are not shouting at me, but rather participating in a group primal scream, it's not a stressful scream. Topics range from the mundane (I HAVEN'T HAD COFFEE YET!) to the cheerful (I GOT A JOB!). People wish each other happy birthday in all-caps.Friends of mine who don't know one another gleefully comment on each other's rant, complaint or brag and support one another. We're so used to people yelling at us on the internet that it's nice to have people yelling with us instead.When I forget to post it, or am posting it later in the day than I usually do, multiple friends take me to task. They look forward to the thread all week, apparently. I've even held a couple of bonus #CAPSLOCK days by popular request on particularly stressful days, though I won't make that a habit or else the day will lose its luster.We could all use an outlet for our stress. If a little #CAPSLOCK can help let some of the steam escape, then maybe we will have enough energy to focus on the important fights.Photo by denAsuncioner via Flickr Creative Commons.