DR. WALLACE: I'm a grad school student who attends classes at night and works over 30 hours during the week. Needless to say, when the weekend rolls around, I am exhausted and ready for a break. I've noticed, however, that my weekends never end up feeling as refreshing or rejuvenating as I intend them to be.

I usually binge watch my favorite Netflix series on Friday nights, and on Saturday and Sunday mornings I'll sleep in a lot in an attempt to recover from a long week of hard work. By the time I wake up, I tend to feel sluggish, and I'll mosey around the house taking care of chores and things I've fallen behind on. Then, before I know it, it'll already be evening, and I probably will not have even left the house all day.

Regardless of how much I look forward to the weekend during the workweek, it always feels like my time over the weekend evaporates, and there's nothing I can do to prevent it from happening. Is there a way that I can effectively make the most of my weekends and not feel as though they're passing me by all the time? — Overwhelmed, via email

OVERWHELMED: It sounds like you have a lot of responsibility on your plate, and as I'm sure everyone would agree, weekends always seem to come and go too quickly. As you mentioned, it is common for Saturdays and Sundays to not entirely feel like "days off" because they are often the only time people have available to catch up on running errands or completing chores around the house. This is, unfortunately, part of the reality of becoming an adult and learning to juggle multiple obligations at the same time. Nevertheless, everyone needs and deserves to devote at least some time toward self-care and self-restoration in order to prevent burnout and other negative side effects of exhaustion.

My recommendation to you is to really pay attention to what truly replenishes and rejuvenates your energy levels. For example, binge watching Netflix for endless hours on Friday night may sound like the perfect way to unwind from the stress of the workweek, but does it really leave you feeling refreshed and at peace? While binge watching Netflix is undoubtedly tempting, perhaps the better option would be to go on an evening walk, treat yourself to your favorite meal, watch an episode of your favorite show and get to bed at an earlier time than usual. Then, on Saturday morning, after having received a full night's rest, you can wake up early with the entire day ahead of you to spend as you choose.

Interestingly, sometimes the things we think will bring us the most satisfaction and rest fail to meet our expectations and turn out to be the opposite of what we really need. If what you're currently doing over the weekend isn't causing you to feel refreshed, don't be afraid to change things up and try something different. Pay attention to what works best for you and your schedule and make adjustments accordingly.

OUR CURFEWS ARE UNFAIR!

DR. WALLACE: I'm 16 and I come from a big family. I'm a girl and I have two brothers. My problem is that I don't agree with the way our parents set up our curfews. They made a chart and put it on our refrigerator, and depending on our ages, those of the older ages get to stay out later on weeknights and weekends than the younger siblings do.

I can kind of understand that, but then my parents also added a one-hour "shortening" factor for the girls. This means that a 17-year-old girl has to be back home an hour earlier than a 17-year-old boy. I don't think this is fair.

My parents tell me that when I'm 17 and when I'm 18 I'll get to stay out later, but in each case, I will have to be home an hour earlier than my older brothers did when they were those exact same ages.

I wanted to write to you to see if you might agree with me. Is there any valid reason that the girls should have to be home earlier than the boys? — Unhappy Girl, via email

UNHAPPY GIRL: I agree with you! I feel that your parents should set whatever curfews they prefer for their children of various ages, but that each child, regardless of gender, should be required to be home at a specific time under identical rules.

It seems as if your parents are saying they either don't trust the girls as much as the boys, or they don't trust perhaps other boys who will be hanging out with their daughters. In either case, I would suggest that your parents sit everyone down and set specific ground rules on what behavior is and is not acceptable and the reasons for it. They should also set the curfew time, but once all of this is done, I feel setting uniform curfew times, regardless of gender, is not only fair but completely appropriate. Feel free to show your letter and my answer here to your parents.

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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