Reagan Responds
Coping with stress at the start of fall semester
September 19, 2019
How to cope with stress while jumping into fall semester?
As the leaves begin to change colors and the fall semester begins to roll around, other things arrive at the same time – stress. For some students, it may be their first semester on campus. For others, it could be their final semester as a Falcon at UW-River Falls. No matter how far along students are in their college career, they are more than likely being impacted by stress.
When the fall semester comes around there are a couple of ways that I deal with stress to help me cope with the assignments, projects and exams. First, I make sure to make time for friends and family. When spending time with friends I try to make sure that we aren’t solely doing homework or working on projects; It’s supposed to be a fun time. When it comes to family, I try to pick at least one weekend a month to travel home during the fall semester and spend quality time with my family. Being taken out of the college environment, even for a day, can be beneficial for reducing the stress that the fall semester can bring.
If going home isn’t an option – and it may not be for some students – then there are always events to go to on campus. Fall and winter sports will be in full effect a couple of months into the semester and they allow for a couple of hours of relaxation while still staying on campus. A good basketball or football game can be a great way to relax and reduce stress from the non-stop studying that the fall semester so often brings.
Family, friends and events on campus are a couple of great ways that I relax and reduce stress on campus during the fall semester. The key to staying relaxed for me is setting aside time throughout the week to have time for myself.
Expectations for Falcons football?
As football season, and football weather, roll around with the beginning of the school year, expectations are often discussed for some of River Falls’ most prominent sports teams.
For the 2019 football season, the Falcons are currently 1-1 through their first two games. The only loss of the season came against Bethel University, a team that came into that matchup ranked as the No. 10 team in the country for Division III college football. In that game, the Flacons managed to have a lead at halftime of that game, 13-10. However, Bethel scored 21 points in the third quarter which propelled them to a 38-20 victory over the Falcons.
With that being said, there are still fairly loft expectations for this football team. It’s the senior year for quarterback Ben Beckman. He has set school records for passing and has continued to grow as a player every season that he has played quarterback. One of Beckman’s favorite targets is a wide receiver, Alex Herink. Last season he set the single-season record for touchdown receptions in his first year playing football.
The Falcons have several dynamic players on their offense that should allow them to be one of the better offenses in the WIAC this season. If all goes according to plan, the Falcons should be setting that goal at a season record of 6-4 this season. It would be the first winning season of Head Coach Matt Walker’s career. There’s never been a better time than this year with the players that he has on the offensive side of the ball. Not to mention the defensive play-calling that Rocky Larson has been showing this season. Aside from some errant blown coverages, he has been calling plays better than any season I can remember.
Considering all of those factors, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to have expectations set at a winning season and making some noise in the WIAC, even if it doesn’t result in a playoff berth.
Reagan Hoverman is a student at UW-River Falls.