DR. WALLACE: I find that when I'm happy I tend to be really busy and I'm always feeling like I need more sleep.

However, when I'm sad, I spend a lot of time in bed! I sleep a lot when I don't feel good mentally or physically. Is this unusual or am I just like everyone else? — My Sleep Varies With My Moods, via email

MY SLEEP VARIES WITH MY MOODS: It's good that you have periods in your life when you feel excited and busy even though you're not getting as much sleep as you would like. From that perspective I'd say you are quite similar to the general population.

But on the other side of the pendulum, your desire to sleep long hours and stay in bed may be an early indication of depression. It's always best to address this possibility as early as possible, so the next time you find yourself in that mode, do seek out assistance. Start with your parents and go from there. Depression is usually a very complex condition that may have multiple causes driving it. Therefore, having a professional counselor interview you may be very helpful early on. Mention this to your parents and show them your letter to me here and my reply to you. Don't try to deal with the next negative cycle on your own.

MY MOM AND I DISAGREE ABOUT MY UNCLE'S GIFTS

DR. WALLACE: I have a wealthy uncle who lives 2,000 miles away from us. When I was younger, he would mail us gift certificates to toy stores, but now that I'm 16 he sends me really expensive clothes!

Some of these clothes are so nice that I could never consider wearing them to school. I want to take them back to the national chain store he bought them in so I can buy some other clothes and shoes that I like better.

But my mother disagrees with me. She wants me to keep those clothes in case he visits us sometime in the future.

The problem with this is that he has only been to our house once in the last five years! What can I do, and more importantly, what is your opinion here? — A Niece With Great Gifts, via email

A NIECE WITH GREAT GIFTS: I side with you on this one. I feel you can exchange some or all of these items for store credit and then purchase items you'd prefer.

You can honestly tell your uncle that his very nice gifts were great, but they didn't fit you perfectly, so you exchanged them for other ones that did. This is true because the style did not "fit" you, but the replacement items did "fit" your lifestyle and comfort level.

Then send him a photo or photos of the new items and thank him for buying you those gifts, since that's exactly what he ended up doing after all. I trust your uncle will be graceful about this and that he will enjoy seeing what you ultimately get. This will also help him to learn a bit about your style before your 17th birthday rolls around next year!

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.

Photo credit: Grégoire Bertaud at Unsplash