DR. WALLACE: I have a group of friends at school and we all like to do things together. Sometimes this involves things we do at school, after school or even on the weekends. There are five of us and we're all pretty much equal friends with each other.

We are all girls, and one girl always gets excited and feisty whenever we start creating an idea of something we want to do. It seems that she always jumps in and takes full control and tells everyone else what we're going to do and how we're going to go about it. I've noticed a few other girls looking at me and making eye contact during these outbursts, but so far, no one has said anything. She's a nice person overall, but it just seems that she gets too amped up about everything and always wants full control.

What can I do about this, or better yet, what can we do about this as a group? — She's All About Control, via email

SHE'S ALL ABOUT CONTROL: Maybe you could be the leader of the other four girls in your group when it comes to sharing ideas and making group decisions. You could talk to a few of the other girls one-on-one as you see them at school and mention that you feel your group of friends would benefit more from other voices being involved in making decisions from time to time.

Definitely mention that you are friends with the girl who seeks control, and that you respect her opinions, but that you just want to make sure that the whole group's wishes are considered. Take care not to say anything negative or disparaging about this girl or her actions. Stay positive.

Once you've debated this with each of the other three girls, perhaps in a future meeting, you could plan to take turns suggesting ideas that may be different than what this "leader" wants to do in exactly the manner she wants to do it. As each of the four of you make suggestions, the last of the four could say, "Wow, we have a lot of good ideas here, let's take a vote!" And hopefully therein, your "friendship democracy" will be established and hopefully implemented effectively.

I AIM TO EAT BETTER AND EXERCISE MORE, BUT NEVER DO

DR. WALLACE: I'm a 20-year-old college student and I have a very busy life, just like it seems every fellow student around me does as well. As I go through each day and week, I'm always seemingly aware of how much I would rather focus on my personal health more than I actually do. By this, I specifically mean eating better and exercising more.

Yet each Monday morning when the school week rolls around, I find myself extremely busy, and by the end of the week, I've noticed that I've eaten a lot of fast food and sugary snacks that are nowhere near as healthy choices as I could've been making. I simply admit to myself that I had no time to go hiking or get in a workout at the gym or any other location.

What's the best way to break out of the rut that I'm in? — Frustrated College Student, via email

FRUSTRATED COLLEGE STUDENT: In a word, scheduling! Think about it, your college classes are all set in advance at a specific time of day and day of the week. You therefore must adhere to this schedule and adjust the rest of your life and time in order to succeed in passing these classes. You accordingly must set aside time each week to do homework, study the subjects and prepare for exams and term papers.

To succeed with your health and eating habits, you must take the time to both schedule them and make them a priority going forward. The good news is, if you can do this, continued repetition will soon turn these activities into habits, which should be your end goal.

Set aside time during each day to climb stairs, take brisk walks, take a brief hike or do something physical. Think about it carefully, come up with creative ideas and get moving. You can plan to eat better by purchasing healthy snacks every weekend, keeping them in your refrigerator and taking portions out with you each day. Then, when inevitable hunger pangs arrive, you'll gladly consume those foods until you can get a more regular meal at a suitable time of day. Giving in to the immediate hunger is a primary reason for bad eating habits. Schedule your snacks just like you attend your class schedule, and I think you'll find that you can steady yourself during the week and reward yourself occasionally when you go out for a planned meal. This realistic balance will be the most likely way to keep you moving ahead successfully in these endeavors.

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.

Photo credit: Alireza Mirzabegi at Unsplash