If you think stress comes from long hours or a packed to-do list, Jeff Bezos disagrees. The Amazon founder believes real stress doesn’t come from how much you’re doing—it comes from what you’re avoiding.
In a 2001 interview at the Academy of Achievement Summit, Bezos said stress is less about workload and more about inaction. When you ignore problems that need your attention, your brain keeps the alarm bells ringing. Let’s explore more deeply what Bezos actually said about stress, how his view aligns with psychology research, and practical ways to apply that thinking to your own work life.
What Bezos says about stress
Bezos described stress as a signal—something that tells you there’s an unresolved issue lurking in the background. “Stress primarily comes from not taking action over something that you can have some control over”, he said. In other words, it’s not the work itself that wears you down, it’s the things you know you should deal with but haven’t yet.
He gave simple examples: making that first phone call, sending the email you’ve been putting off, or starting the conversation you’ve been avoiding. Taking even a small step toward solving a problem, Bezos said, can dramatically reduce tension, even before the issue is fully resolved.
Bezos pushed back against the idea that hard work and stress are the same thing. “You can be working incredibly hard and loving it”, he said. “And likewise, you can be out of work and incredibly stressed over that”. The difference, he explained, is control. When you take an active role in solving problems—whether that means job hunting, planning, or taking small actions—you’re less likely to feel overwhelmed.
His point aligns with what psychology calls problem-focused coping: addressing the source of stress directly rather than just managing your emotions. Research consistently shows this approach leads to better mental health and lower long-term stress levels. Avoidance, by contrast, fuels anxiety and can make even minor problems feel unmanageable.
How to handle stress the Bezos way
Bezos’s advice isn’t just for executives—it applies to anyone juggling work, deadlines, or uncertainty. Reducing stress doesn’t mean slowing down; it means facing what’s bothering you instead of avoiding it.
- Identify the real stressor. Write down what’s actually making you uneasy. Often, the vague sense of stress becomes smaller once you name it.
- Take one small step. Don’t wait to have the full solution. Make the first move—a call, a message, a plan—to start addressing it.
- Break big problems into actions. Divide what feels overwhelming into small, doable pieces. Progress reduces pressure.
- Stay consistent. The more you practice addressing stressors early, the less often they build up.
- Balance effort with rest. Working hard doesn’t cause burnout—working hard without recovery does. Rest is part of control, not avoidance.
Bezos’s take reframes stress as a signal, not a sentence. It’s your mind’s way of saying something needs attention. When you act instead of avoiding, you take back control—and often, that’s enough to feel lighter, even before anything changes.