Random acts of kindness day

Did you know that February 17 is random acts of kindness day? One of the most popular ways to mark the event is to leave positive messages on post-it notes for people – whether family, friends or strangers. Why not give it a try?

How could you make a difference on random acts of kindness day? This year, the Business Optimizer team is planning on leaving positive messages and kind words on post-it notes so that they can be found by family, friends or others!

Random acts of kindness day

Random acts of kindness day falls on February 17. The day actually marks a full week (running from February 17 to February 23 this year) in which we are all encouraged to be kinder to each other.

It’s a week dedicated to kindness and taking that extra, conscious step to brighten somebody’s day.

How to celebrate random acts of kindness day

The UK NHS has created a list of suggestions for random acts of kindness, including:

• Smile when you walk by others
• Write positive messages on post-it notes and leave them for people to find
• Call a relative you haven’t spoken to in a while
• Hold the door open for someone
• Chat with a stranger and ask them about their day
• Offer to help with someone’s errands
• Give a surprise gift to someone you care about
• Send a kind card or note to a friend
• Spend less time on your phone and more time with people you care about
• Practice gratitude
• Volunteer
• Give someone a hug

Random acts of kindness post-it notes

We love the idea of writing post-it notes and leaving them in locations where they can surprise people with your kind words and cheerful sentiments.

Why not purchase a small pad of post-it notes and compile some cheerful thoughts and positive mantras? Think about where to post your messages so they might have the most impact.

For example, work notes might include positive mantras such as “you’ve got this!” or “you’re doing a great job!”. While notes around your house might include “thanks for everything you do” or “I love you”.

If you want to encourage your children to participate in celebrating random acts of kindness day, you can find some brilliant resources on the Twinkl website, including “caught you being kind vouchers” which you can print off and use to reward the thoughtful acts of kindness they make throughout the year.

Don’t forget to make time to be kind to yourself

The organisation Mental Health UK makes the point that it’s important to be kind to yourself too. It suggests:

• Prioritise some “me” time so you can relax and reflect
• Treat yourself to something small – like buying or planting yourself some flowers
• Do something you enjoy like listening to a favourite song or piece of music
• Spend some time in nature, which is good for your wellbeing

You can also find a poster with ideas of ways to celebrate random acts of kindness day. Why not print it off and post it on the wall to inspire others too?

Need more inspiration?

• Read our tips on the lost art of letter writing so you can write some wonderful letters to mark the day.
• Or catch up on our writing lab: why not write your kids a story about random acts of kindness day.