Nicholas Holdermann/The Falcon

If college life were the stock market, the only commodity in higher demand than quarters to do laundry would be the time to do everything else.

Often in the middle of yet another whirlwind week, the bewildered college student is left asking, "Where has the time gone?"

Like the washing machine god who may spit out clean clothes if satiated with enough quarters, the many-headed beast that is college life greedily gobbles up the minutes of our day.

But then again, when have we really ever had time? We worked hard in high school so that we could get into a good college. We're working hard in college so that we can go to a good graduate school. We'll most likely work hard in graduate school so that we can get a good job. And we'll eventually work hard in a good job so that we can keep it.

All for what? To realize at the end that we missed what is really important in life?

Now, what normally happens with this train of thought is to follow it up with an inspirational "carpe diem." Urge the readers to seize the day and all that.

However, I'm going to tell you something different: Un-seize the day.

College students' days are being seized enough as it is. I doubt that even if I did exhort my readers to seize whatever few precious hours were free, many would have trouble coming up with even that. Classes seize approximately 12 hours out of a week. Outside studying, another 30 to 45 hours. Many students work and/or are involved in other activities.

Avery Matro is a sophomore double-majoring in english literature and classics

In fact, I bet that as you're reading this article, part of your mind is thinking about all the work you need to do for a class.

Students need to release the iron-fisted hold they have over their minutes to take a break.

Un-seize the day.

Some call it "hooky;" some call it "ditching;" I prefer, "mental health day."

A mental health day involves taking a day to do something that refreshes you.

Imagine that your life is like a video game--I know, I can't believe I used that analogy either, but there it is.

You're little Mario walking around in video game life and, boom--one of those evil monster things (yes, I believe that is the technical term) hits you. A little evil 10-page paper, if you will. It hits you and immediately your life bar shrinks.

Think of those evil monster things as "stressors." Stressors are things in life that stress you out and drain whatever energy you thought you might have had. If enough of those hit you before you've had a chance to refuel, you die.

Mental health days are important. They are like the happy golden coin things that fall onto your Mario's head and bring a sense of renewed life.

"Students need to lighten up," said Luke Reinsma, professor of English. "Honor students especially tend to be way too anal, competitive and driven. I see these students that are in this treadmill. They're driven by the needs of productivity, efficiency and assessment."

I fondly remember Professor Reinsma encouraging my University Scholars class freshman year to miss a day of class.

"We tend to view learning as dumping information onto students. Students should take some time, if only as a symbolic gesture, that learning needs to be full of thought," Reinsma said.

Naturally, a mental health day can turn into a mental health week. A mental health week into a mental health month and then, pretty soon, you're just mental for spending $35,000 a year to sit on your butt and watch TV.

But in this age of seizing the day, I'm challenging students to loosen their grip on their time.

Take some time to bring meaning back into your education. An education is a privilege and should not be something that you are forced by pain of an F to have.

"College is becoming more like high school," Reinsma says, "in that we chain students to desks with that fear that if we don't, learning won't happen. Students need to get their own education. The classroom is only the springboard."

It's great being driven and motivated to succeed in school. But take some time to really identify activities that refill your life bar. Whether it's reading a good book, going out to dinner or just hanging out with friends, rethink what refuels you.

Don't get to the point where you've finished your 12th espresso, snapped at everyone you know and challenged the validity of God for creating organic chemistry.

For God not only created organic chemistry. On the seventh day, God created rest.