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"  Many of us arrive home from work feeling totally tense every now and then\u2014maybe there&amp;#039;s still a pile of paperwork on our desks that we didn&amp;#039;t get to or the boss lost her temper at the afternoon meeting. These things happen. But being chronically stressed out, from work or just from life itself, can majorly hurt our health, according to  new data from Columbia University. According to researchers, being stressed can be as bad for you as smoking five cigarettes a day. Not only that, but having such anxiety can also increase your cholesterol levels and your blood pressure. In fact, stressed out people are 27 percent more likely to have a heart attack than those who are laid back, according to this new research. And, that is seriously scary.  Yeah, heart attacks probably aren&amp;#039;t on your radar at the moment, but forming stressy habits now can seriously screw you later in life. So, the next time you come home a bit ragey after enduring a work day from hell, pour yourself a glass of wine, run a hot bath, turn on your favorite comedy, grab your guy and get busy\u2014seriously, whatever you need to do to release that tension.  How do you unwind after a stressful day? Tell us in the comments.  Want more from Natasha? Follow her on Twitter or find her on Facebook. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.cosmopolitan.com/health-fitness/news/a11117/stress-has-similar-effect-as-smoking/>