Behaviors

Avoid triggers that provoke flushing and worsen rosacea redness, including UV light, spicy foods, hot beverages, emotions, and life stressors.

For rosacea redness, discuss laser destruction of blood vessels with a dermatologist.

For papulopustular rosacea, use creams that suppress bacterial and mite growth as well as the immune response in the skin.

Moisturize aggressively to seal the skin barrier defect in eczema; this helps restore the barrier like putting mortar back between bricks.

Use fragrance-free cleansers, fragrance-free detergents, fragrance-free skincare products, and non-preservative-based skincare products to mitigate environmental triggers in eczema.

Use topical steroids to dampen the immune system in eczema.

If a pimple pops on its own, clean it gently and otherwise leave it alone. Avoid hydrogen peroxide because it impairs wound healing by killing living tissue, and avoid over-the-counter topical antibiotics because many lack useful antibiotic activity and can cause allergic contact dermatitis.

A topical corticosteroid can be used cautiously for a day or two before an event to suppress the immune response temporarily, but not for long-term use. Long-term use on the face can thin the skin, increase acne scar risk, and cause rebound acne.

Reduce external stress before learning; some stress is acceptable because it can cue alertness, but excessive stress should be limited.

Deliberately engage attention rather than being passive. Use internal self-cueing such as 'I need to learn this' and repeatedly bring your mind back to the material; the effort and strain of returning attention are expected and beneficial.

Prefer open-ended self-tests with minimal prompts, especially short-answer, and long-answer can also be effective. Do not rely solely on multiple-choice formats because they favor familiarity and recognition over recall.

Do not go straight to your phone after class. Instead, use the immediate post-exposure window to spend a few seconds or minutes thinking about the material and testing yourself on it.

Increase emotional salience of material when possible because emotionally laden experiences are remembered more durably. If the source is dull or monotone, consciously ramp up your internal attention to create more intensity in how the material is perceived.

Interleave challenging new information with little anecdotes or bits of lower-challenge, seemingly unrelated information to enhance learning.

Suggested as a decompression activity after intense social or cognitive engagement.

For introverts especially, recommended to politely decline extra social interaction after draining events and preserve alone time to recover.

Recommended as part of emotional intelligence; identify what just happened or what is about to happen that explains the feeling.

Core recommendation of the discussion; create conditions where feelings can be acknowledged without judgment.

Used as part of a self-regulation routine during travel stress and delays.

Recommended to intentionally match emotional state to task demands rather than assuming one state is always best. Examples: use high-energy music for brainstorming, lower energy for consensus-building and careful selection, and a low-energy focused state with classical music for detail work like writing or proofreading.

When conflict is escalating, shift the body state first using methods such as deep breathing, standing up and moving, sitting quietly for about 10 minutes to let nervous systems regulate, or using music when words are not helping.

Recognize that very little can be heard or processed when in a state of hyperarousal, self-protection, and high stress; prioritize regulation first.

Choose the physical orientation that best supports regulation and listening: in some situations do not look at each other, in others turn toward each other face to face, and in others talk side by side during parallel activity.

Included among the lifestyle factors associated with better long-term memory outcomes.

Included among the lifestyle factors associated with better memory over time.

Get vision tested and treat cataracts in older age as part of preserving brain health.

Use focus mode to prevent alerts from interrupting conversation and attention.

Selectively document rather than over-document. Take photos mindfully by focusing on distinctive, meaningful details that can later serve as retrieval cues, then look at the photos later to actively recollect the broader event rather than just scrolling or posting. Mindless shotgun photo-taking is said to impoverish memory.

Protect hearing as part of preventive brain health: avoid listening to headphones too loudly, get hearing screened, and use hearing aids if needed.

Recommended because gum disease increases risk for Alzheimer's and poorer cognitive brain health.