“If you’re super stressed you can get into a negative outlook on things so you perceive things to be more negative than they really are,” said Brandon DeMatto, the football and baseball coach at MSHS.

DeMatto also teaches Health classes where students often learn healthy ways of coping with stress. “I do often deal with stress,” said Leo Wines (11). Stress is a common factor among high school students. With after-school activities and homework, it can often seem overwhelming. 49% of high school students reported feeling a “great deal of stress” on a daily basis according to The Atlantic Surveys.

Stress can affect anyone. It can often lead to anxiety, high blood pressure, a weakened immune system and an increased risk of depression. However, people deal with stress in different ways. “[I deal with stress] not a lot. On occasion,” said Justus Bacon (11). “Everything adds to a little bit of stress.”

All individuals deal with stress in some form, but the coping mechanisms that can help deal with these problems vary person to person. Proper nutrition, good sleep schedule, exercise, meditation, and communicating with friends and family are all ways to deal with problems. “Another way is just having a good, quality conversation with people that [you] trust,” said DeMatto.