DR. WALLACE: I graduated high school this past spring. I'm now 18 years old and find myself a bit depressed about my future.

I'm still not sure exactly what I want to do with my life, so I haven't applied to any colleges or made specific plans yet.

Not only that, but I find myself sitting around a lot in kind of a lonesome state of mind, so I eat a lot of junk food out of boredom.

Now I'm starting to gain weight on top of everything else. What can I do to help me snap out of this funk? In previous years, I would just skate through the summer, knowing I had to go back to high school in the fall. But now I'm facing the beginning of my adult life, and I don't seem to have too much motivation for anything. Do you have any suggestions that might help me to break out of this depressing cycle? — Just Sitting Around and Not Eating Well

JUST SITTING AROUND AND NOT EATING WELL: My first suggestion is to get out of the house and moving. One of the best things for a sluggish or slightly depressed state of mind is healthy exercise. The blood flow, endorphins and feeling of self-satisfaction after even a moderate workout usually elevates the most people's mood.

Decide if you want to take brisk walks, light jogs or any other aerobic type of exercise you might enjoy. Give a few ideas a try and be proud of yourself once you're done. Build on that momentum by eating healthier snacks between meals and eating your meals more carefully as well.

As for your future, plan to survey different ideas. Sign up for one or two courses at a local junior college in fields that might interest you for a future career.

Taking only two classes is far from a full course load, and this will not put undue pressure on you academically, especially if you enjoy the subject. At the end of the first semester, you can decide whether you would like to continue those subjects and/or survey another couple of courses in different fields.

Along with that, talk with friends, family members and adults you respect about what current lines of work may be interesting for 18-year-olds such as yourself.

Having the structure of taking classes and having something to study and look forward to will get you moving and stop the cycle of simply staying at home doing nothing. Couple this with even a modest exercise program and a desire to eat better and your moods, self-esteem and feelings about your prospects in life should all improve.

I trust if you can do this, you'll build momentum and find your own way. Young people tend to be quite resilient, and I feel strongly that you will fit into this category, so you have every right to feel positive and confident that you can make meaningful changes in your life very soon.

MY MOM BLAMES MY COMPLEXION ON MY DIET

DR. WALLACE: I'm a 15-year-old girl who seems now to have weekly escalating complexion problems. My acne has gone from just a little here and there to patches that are quite noticeable and last for weeks at a time.

I don't eat the best diet, as I eat a lot of junk food, especially greasy french fries and fried foods, plus I eat a lot of chocolate and sweets as well.

My mother has also noticed my acne, and she scolded me for eating so many bad foods that are causing my acne. But I recall that you've said that diet is not necessarily connected to acne. Is my diet contributing to my acne? Or is there perhaps some other explanation? — My Mom Blames Me for My Acne, via email

MY MOM BLAMES ME FOR MY ACNE: Your mother is off base with her assessment of your situation.

Eating a lot of greasy junk food, chocolate and sweets is not wise for your diet and overall health, but it is not the specific reason you're having acne problems.

Medical research has confirmed this fact, and fortunately, modern medicine has many suitable treatments for acne. You need a professional assessment of your acne, and you should visit a local dermatologist as soon as possible.

Offer your mother a trade, by telling her that if she's willing to get you to a board-certified dermatologist very soon that you'll clean up your act by eating much less junk food, chocolates and sweets. You'll both get something positive out of this transaction, even though they are entirely unrelated.

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 [email protected]. 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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