In recent years, the buzz around stress and its triggers has reached a fever pitch. We're finally waking up to the profound impact stress has on our physical and mental health, prompting individuals, communities, and healthcare professionals to delve deeper into the complex web of factors causing it in today's world.
From the relentless pressure cooker of work deadlines to the ever-present anxiety of financial burdens, the expectations society heaps upon us can feel like a heavyweight. And let's not forget the constant connectivity fostered by our digital companions - smartphones, laptops, social media - that keep us plugged in 24/7, blurring the lines between work and leisure, and leaving us with little room to disconnect and recharge truly.
Recently, an old video of Jeff Bezos, the founder of e-commerce giant Amazon, about stress management surfaced on the internet. Mr Bezos said that people perceive stress in a wrong manner.
In the video, Mr Bezos said, "Stress primarily comes from not taking action over something that you can have some control over. So if I find that some particular thing is causing me to have stress, that's a warning flag for me; what it means is, that there's something that I haven't completely identified perhaps in my conscious mind, that is bothering me, and I haven't yet taken any action on it. I find, as soon as I identify it, and make the first phone call or send up the first email message or whatever it is that we're going to do to start to address the situation, even if it's not solved, the mere fact that we're addressing it dramatically reduces any stress that might come from it. So stress comes from ignoring things that you shouldn't be ignoring, I think in large part."
Adding, "People get stress wrong all the time in my opinion. Stress doesn't come from hard work, for example, you know you can be working incredibly hard and loving it."
See the video here:
Jeff Bezos on Managing Stress
"Stress primarily comes from not taking action over something that you can have some control over.
So if I find that some particular thing is causing me to have stress, that's a warning flag for me; what it means is, there's something that I… pic.twitter.com/IVEJ8lOQCh
Internet was quick to react to the now-viral video. Commenting on the video, a user wrote, "This is so true. A lot of my anxiety goes away when I do the thing that was causing my anxiety."
Another user wrote, "Man has just described why I don't have gray hair and I never realized it."
"Absolutely, recognizing stress triggers is crucial for effective action. Thanks for sharing this valuable insight on stress management," the third user wrote.