Scots are being offered “extra sun” to help them beat the winter blues.
Residents in East Dunbartonshire will become the first in Scotland to be given the chance to take part in a new project to help tackle the effects of seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
After the clocks go back on Sunday visitors to four local libraries will have the chance to borrow a lamp which replicates the physiological benefits of real sunlight.
The lamp is included in a Wintering Well Box which also contains a book, information, activities and access to an online course to help tackle the effects SAD.
The initiative is the latest development in an ongoing research project into the mental and physical effects of long dark winters called Living with SAD, led by academics from the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, supported by East Dunbartonshire Leisure and Culture Trust (EDLCT).
Last year the team launched a series of support materials called Wintering Well, which drew on an extensive survey of people in the UK who live with SAD and feedback from volunteers who attended a series of outdoor workshops.
The project’s support materials include Light is A Right’, a guide on adopting new creative practices to encourage readers to spend a little time out-of-doors each day.
The library Wintering Well Box will also include a template for writing a Letter to Winter, a creative exercise encouraging participants to let the season know their feelings about living with low light and low mood.
These letters will form the basis of further research from the team.
One hundred Wintering Well boxes will be available for library-users to borrow for four-week periods at William Patrick Library in Kirkintilloch and the libraries in Bishopbriggs, Lennoxtown and Milngavie.
If the libraries project is judged a success this winter, researchers hope it may well be rolled out to communities across Scotland when the nights get longer next year.
Claire Charlwood took part in a trial of the project. She said: “I’ve found the winter months very challenging to deal with in previous years.
“Darkness when you leave the house in the morning and darkness when you get home can really start to wear on your mental health.
“I was really impressed by the Wintering Well Box. The resources make me think about winter in a different way, like using a mini ‘sky-frame’ to help me notice the sky isn’t just dull, wet and grey.
“I also think the SAD lamp tops up my levels of sunlight and that helps.”
Professor Hester Parr, of the School of Geographical & Earth Sciences, is one of the leaders of the Living with SAD project.
She said: “According to the Royal College of Psychiatry, more than a million people across Britain experience symptoms of SAD, including emotional challenges, lowered mood, and feelings of anxiety.
“However, they often have very limited access to social or medical support to help them through winter.
“Our Wintering Well resources are aimed at helping people find novel ways to deal with those feelings through creative projects and finding connection and support with others who struggle with low mood.
“We’ll be collecting feedback from participants in this new phase of the study to help us guide the next stage of Living with SAD, which could involve bringing Wintering Well boxes to communities across Scotland.”
Professor Hayden Lorimer, of Edinburgh University, added: “Local libraries are perfect places for people to access our borrowable Wintering Well boxes.
“They are also warm and welcoming public spaces for meeting up and socialising during the winter months.
“We’re planning to organise shorts walks nearby to library buildings when borrowers will be able to share their experiences with one another.”