Research Impact & Public Engagement
The Living with SAD team worked with a group of public participants over the 2022-23 winter season providing a programme of 'Wintering Well' events focusing on conversation and creative activities.
Those who took part provided positive and detailed evaluation of the 'Wintering Well' programme, which we have used to produce three different resources which are free to access on this website. These resources are now being shared with professionals and the wider public to create a legacy for the ESRC research project, with plans ongoing for further public engagement and widespread research impact. We are now working with: Glasgow City Council; Glasgow's NHS Community Link Workers; East Dunbartonshire Libraries; Change Mental Health; the Glasgow Science Festival.
By engaging with a range of partners we hope to reach diverse communities and individuals in the west of Scotland who can benefit from the project's resources, helping re-frame ways of living in wintertime, and annual experiences of SAD.
Living with SAD: Wintering Well 2024
Our research suggests that Seasonal Affective Disorder is not an inevitable annual event and that change is possible.
The following testimonials describe the changes the Living with SAD resources have enabled for the people who use them:
'I have worked through the online course. .. it has helped me recognize the seasonal dimension and given me a number of strategies to respond to it'.
'I love the frame the sky activity, I also look for light wherever I can. It does feel different . The materials and event have certainly helped me.'
'The collective experiences and knowledge and tips shared have helped me feel less alone and in better condition to face the difficulty'.
Professionals have also commented on how they are using the resources to support clients in their services:
'The Guide to Wintering Well [has] useful tips for improvement in general mental wellbeing and coping better in winter months'.
'Client(s) found online course of interest, a meaningful use of time, helpful tips advice dealing with life during winter months'.
'I signposted to the LLTTF course and used [the] tools in discussion. Feedback was positive'.
Living with SAD in the News
- BBC Scotland | ‘Look for the light’ – practical tips to help you through another winter with SAD
- University of Edinburgh | How to reframe Seasonal Affective Disorder
- The Guardian | Dear winter, apparently writing a letter to you can help me hate you less
- BBC Sounds | Around 3% of the population are experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder
- The Herald | Seasonal affective disorder: Coping strategies for winter
- The Daily Mail | Dear Winter, I feel glum: How writing a letter to the season or sitting by a window helps beat the blues
- The Scotsman | Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) affects more people in Scotland than you might think
- Greatest Hits Radio | Almost 1 in 10 Scots have Seasonal Affective Disorder, researchers say
- My Science | New resources aim to bring light to people living with seasonal depression
- University of Glasgow News Release | New resources aim to bring light to people living with seasonal depression
'How to Winter Well' - A Living with SAD Podcast from Scotland Outdoors
Finding Ways to Winter Well
The Living with SAD project has aimed to understand lived experiences of Seasonal Affective Disorder and to support individuals looking to develop new strategies for engaging with seasonal change and the wintertime light. This video from STV news profiles the project and shares some of the techniques and tactics our participants found helpful.