DR. WALLACE: I've always been what I consider to be a "go-go" person who is sprinting through the entire day. This was the case during the entirety of high school, and it has remained true in college.

However, for the first time, I'm starting to get seriously tired in the mid to late afternoons! I feel I'm entirely too young to be experiencing this. I kind of feel like the wind goes out of my sails and I become stagnant for up to a full hour, which is very frustrating.

Eventually, I can grind forward and get things done, but maybe not quite with the energy and enthusiasm I had earlier in the day. What can I do about this? — Experiencing Energy Drops, via email

EXPERIENCING ENERGY DROPS: This could actually be a positive for you rather than a negative. I suspect your body may be telling you to slow down and at least take a break. Start planning to do something you really enjoy for an hour or at least 45 minutes or so every afternoon around the time you've been experiencing your regular fatigue.

You might enjoy hiking, taking a brisk walk, doing some window shopping at local stores, rummaging through antique shops or eating at one of your favorite establishments.

The idea is to give yourself a mental break and also create something. You'll look forward to every day when you start out working hard every morning, trying to get as much done as you can with your day. These preplanned breaks definitely can recharge your battery, especially at your young age. If you do find that the fatigue worsens or that taking mental and physical breaks like the ones I've suggested are not helping you, of course, you should check in with a medical professional. Hopefully, that will not be the case, and you'll simply be able to recharge and refresh your body and mind on your own.

GIVING GIFTS WON'T BE AN OPTION FOR ME THIS YEAR

DR. WALLACE: The holidays are upon us and I'm worried about my finances. I'm a college student and I've had a much tougher year than ever in the past.

I had some unplanned automobile expenses that have really set me back. I was raised by my uncle; my parents are not with us anymore, so I'm pretty much on my own as I live now on the West Coast, and was raised back east.

Most of the friends I hang out with here have many more resources than I do. This makes me embarrassed when it comes to holiday gift exchanges, and so forth. Would it be out of line for me to tell my inner circle of friends that I don't plan to give or receive any holiday gifts this year due to the expected expenses I had to face a few months back? — Don't Want to Be Embarrassed, via email

DON'T WANT TO BE EMBARRASSED: Honesty is the best policy, so I don't have any problem at all with you honestly telling some friends and acquaintances of yours that you're planning to bow out of any gift exchanges this year.

Even though you prefer not to receive any gifts, you may still get a few token gifts given to you, nevertheless. Since you won't have any gifts to give anyone who gives you a gift, be prepared in advance to have a story to tell. By story, I mean recount some good times or shared experiences that you enjoyed together previously. If you are given a gift, you can graciously accept it and then ask the gift giver if you can tell them a quick story in return. Go on and verbally recount some of your favorite stories with the particular individual and conclude by thanking them for their friendship. You can tell each person that their friendship was already more than enough of a gift to give you, and that you truly appreciate your friendship and the good times you've spent together.

Hopefully, friends you interact with this way will fully understand and appreciate where you're coming from, and truly appreciate your preparation and delivery of the "gift" and the bonding of friendship you have just given them in return.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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