By Grace Marshall

Deadlines, heavy workload, difficult relationships or stressful environments — whatever the reasons or triggers, stress is very much a common feature of life these days. Most of the time, we are able to keep our stress at a manageable level, and our thinking is: ‘Ok, it may affect our mood and blood pressure from time to time, but on the whole it’s not a showstopper.’ Some people even thrive from stress, building up adrenaline to face their challenges.

It’s when it starts taking over your life that stress becomes a real problem — when it seeps into every minute of the day, and you find yourself completely bogged down and always tense.

That’s when you’ll probably hear all the usual advice: take some time off, stop working so hard, go on a spa break, and of course, try to relax!

The trouble is, sometimes it’s not that easy to just relax, especially when you’re caught up in a constant state of tension. And the harder you ‘try’, the less relaxed you’re likely to be. Instead, here are seven tips to help break the cycle of constant tension, and allow you to relax and recharge.

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