Vocabulary:
- tactic [TAK-tik]
- in the long run [in thuh LAWNG ruhn]
- comfort food [KUHM-fert food]
- halt [HAWLT]
- impulsively [im-PUHL-siv-ly]
(noun) a specific action intended to get a particular result
The company’s smart tactics improved the employees’ morale.
(phrase) at some time in the future
Studying hard can help students in the long run.
(noun) food that people eat when they are sad or worried
Pizza and ice cream are common comfort foods.
(verb) to stop something
The elections are halted by the government.
(adverb) doing something without thinking
She bought a $1000 dress impulsively.
Stress is experienced by people of all ages. Everyone has different tactics to cope with stress. Other people do a variety of activities for distraction such as shopping or chatting with friends. Some resort to stress-eating which is due to hunger experienced by stressed people. Initially, stress-eating helps a person to cope, but a lot of evidences prove that it is ineffective in the long run.
Psychologists are associating stress eating with emotional hunger, whereas emotional hunger is defined as eating because of emotions. They added that the issue with stress eating is when people act impulsively and eat without thinking. People tend to overeat comfort foods such as chips, chocolates and pizza. These unhealthy food choices may lead to weight gain, which can be a health issue. This can be halted by choosing healthier food options such as fruits and vegetables.
True or False:
- Everyone has various styles of coping with stress.
- One of the most uncommon ways of coping with stress is stress-eating.
- Stress-eating is proven to be effective in the long run.
- Weight gain could be induced by healthy food choices.
- Emotional hunger is experienced when people feel stressed.
Discussion Questions:
- Is being stress-free always an advantage? Elaborate.
- Should people stop stress eating even though it makes them feel better? Why or why not?
- Should weight gain be a big deal? Please explain your answer.
- What is the most effective way of coping with stress?
- Is stress eating an effective coping mechanism for stress? Cite your reasons.
Express Your Opinion:
- “Gluttony is an emotional escape, a sign something is eating us.” – Peter De Vries
- “It’s not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it.” – Hans Selye
- “Treating yourself with food as a reward or as compensation is not being kind and loving toward yourself. It’s using food as an addiction.” – Laura Houssain