Table 6.

Giving post CMOs

Overarching CMO statement	Illustrative participant quotation
1. If people see images of diverse types of mail posted online (e.g., social media) or speak to others about what to send, then they may find it easier to create mail, because others’ creations and experiences provide inspiration and ideas for their own creations.	“I looked on the hashtag [#KindnessByPost] of it to see what sorts of things other people had written, to like get a bit of inspiration from that which helped.” P15
2. If people do not know anything about the person they are sending mail to, then creating mail may be particularly effective in boosting mood, because creating mail becomes an introspective and reflective exercise, in which people imagine what their recipient would like to receive based on their own experiences.	“You know I wasn’t like giving an update on my life that I would for an aunt or something like that or trying to think about what’s this specific person that I know well going to find interesting when you know finding things to send them or stuff like that. It is very much about a bit of a yeah, a leap of faith kind of thing and just, I guess the opportunity to think about a hypothetical other person who you don’t know anything about is quite nice and to do that in a positive way.” P7
3. If people create their mail themselves, then this is an enjoyable experience with an opportunity for self-expression and learning, because it is a reflective and emotional process where one engages creatively with the process.	“I’ve felt really good benefits from it because I carved out that time to actually craft something or draw something so that was my bit of me time away from everything else as well, to take time out to actually make that thing to send to somebody, so it gave me that permission to use that time in that way as well.” P6