In Luxembourg yesterday the head of the IMF, Christine Lagarde, said "we are clearly seeing additional tension and acute stress applying to both banks and sovereigns in the euro area".

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Lastly, swear words are probably most often used when stress and tension is high.

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Financial problems are the leading cause of stress and tension in a marriage.

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As a result, after a minor fall, our bones are more fragile and thus likely to break after minor stress or tension.

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It is only when we are under tension that all that mental energy turns into stress.

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The stress also creates a lot of tension in personal and work relationships.

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University of California physiologists say nervous tension causes the adrenal glands to release so-called stress hormones.

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