Glasgow project aims to help SAD sufferers cope with long dark winter

“There’s a heaviness in my head and body,” she explains. “I struggle to be motivated to do anything. I have to put on a mask that says ‘everything is okay.’”

Stefanie suffers from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which affects an estimated nine percent of the population in Scotland. It can be debilitating, resulting in emotional challenges, lowered mood and feelings of anxiety during the autumn and winter months.

Even without a SAD diagnosis, many people feel deeply affected by prolonged periods of low light.

“I feel like I’m just going through the motions of the day,” adds Stefanie, a communities and library officer with Glasgow Life. “I don’t really want to engage with friends. I want to feel genuinely interested and feel sad I can’t give them that.”

A new initiative from Glasgow libraries, in partnership with the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, aims to help Stefanie and fellow sufferers.

From left, Stephanie McCartney, Libraries and Communites Officer, Prof Hayden Lorimer, Prof Hester Parr of Glasgow Uni and Annemarie Galbraith of Glasgow Life Libraries. (Image: Gordon Terris/Newsquest)

Researchers from both universities combined forces to design the Wintering Well Box, developed with people across Glasgow who live with SAD, in an expansion of the successful pilot scheme in East Dunbartonshire libraries last year.

Wintering Well Boxes include a therapeutic lamp and a guidebook offering tips on simple indoor and outdoor activities for a healthier winter routine.

Glasgow Life Libraries has also partnered with Glasgow Life Sport to offer free Wintering Well Walks, encouraging people to notice and make the most of natural light. The walks leave from and return to Bridgeton, Castlemilk, Drumchapel and the Mitchell Library. Glaswegians can also take part in free Brew and Blether gatherings, offering warmth and conversation.

Stephanie McCartney, Libraries and Communites Officer has been using the Wintering Well Box at Glasgow's Mitchell Library, now avaiable for loan during the darkest months and for those with low moods. Pictured with Annmarie Galbraith, left, Health & Wellbeing Coordinator with Glasgow Life Libraries. (Image: Gordon Terris/Newsquest)

The activities coincide with the Mitchell Library’s Wintering Well exhibition, running from January 12 until February 9, which captures everyday experiences of SAD shared by Glaswegians as part of a research project on winter light and mental health.

Annmarie Galbraith, health and wellbeing coordinator with Glasgow Life Libraries, said: “Winter can be a tough time, when the lack of natural sunlight makes everyday life feel more of a struggle.

“The Wintering Well Boxes are designed to help people manage low mood in simple, practical ways, whether that’s trying a SAD lamp, taking part in creative activities, or finding connection and support through their local library.”

The development of the Wintering Well Boxes is part of the UKRI-funded research project Living with SAD, led by Professor Hester Parr of the University of Glasgow.

Stefanie, who lives on the Southside of the city, has already benefitted from using the Wintering Well Box.

“The book has been a good focus and I have used the lamp in the mornings whilst getting ready for work, at weekends, and in the office,” she says.

“Compared to previous winters I can see that my energy to get things done in the flat, to get out and go for a walk or go and meet friends is much more present.

"It’s so lovely to feel I’m not doing these things because I feel I should, but because I want to.”