Lorna Beatrice Lombardini, 26, from Cardiff Bay, said it was tough being a student during the winter months.
“You’re inside a lot of the time, working deadlines, exams, and then trying to still have a social life at the same time plus work,” she said.
“I absolutely love the ‘say yes’ idea, which is even if you get invited to plans, you’re thinking it’s too cold, it’s too dark, I want to stay inside. Just say yes.
“Even if you go and it doesn’t turn out how you want it to go, you can go home and still appreciate home that little bit more but it’s always the experiences that you’re not expecting that turn out to be the best.”
She said she already uses lamps to help her with mood, and does feel an improvement.
“I know that this is a very universal experience but whatever I can do to try and lift the mood a little bit, feel a little bit lighter, I do try and do my best,” she said.
Eleven Welsh councils are taking part in the scheme, developed by researchers from the universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh with funding from the Economic and Social Research Council.
It forms part of a wider expansion across the UK, following two years of trials in Scotland.
The lamps on loan retail at £99, but there are cheaper ones on the market.
Hester Parr, from the University of Glasgow, said the boxes available to borrow have been put together based on research of those with lived experience of SAD and contain a booklet, an online course and a lamp.
“The whole intention of the box is to help people who feel low mood in winter, or feel that they have seasonal affective disorder, make some kind of positive change,” she said.
“This is outside the GP system, it’s free to use from your local library, so there’s no stigma attached to getting this lovely resource that helps us live well in winter.”
Emily Van de Venter, from Public Health Wales, said: “People that have been part of the trials have reported benefits and wanted to continue accessing the SAD lamps, evidence has been growing around the benefits that these lamps can bring.”
She advised using them for about 20 minutes in the morning, and then gain as much daylight exposure during the day as possible.
The boxes are available across Cardiff, Swansea, Wrexham, Neath Port Talbot, Blaenau Gwent, Merthyr Tydfil, Powys, Conwy, Newport, Vale of Glamorgan and Caerphilly.
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