How very British! When we need to deal with stress we let off steam… with a cuppa (while…

When you’ve reached boiling point because of all life’s troubles, there’s one sure way of letting off steam, it seems – brewing yourself a cuppa.

For a poll has found that sitting down with a hot tea is one of our favourite remedies for stress.

Listening to music, plonking yourself in front of the TV or simply finding the space for some ‘quiet time’ were also favourites – with the most popular method of all simply going for a walk.

Some of us opted for more extreme forms of de-stressing, including cleaning the house and screaming into a pillow.

The survey found that 90 per cent of us feel stressed at some point every single day, typically for a total of 41 minutes.

As a result we feel the need to let loose 14 times a week, with Monday afternoon the most likely time for this to happen.

Three quarters of Britons said that hot drinks such as tea, coffee and hot chocolate help them relax, with 23 per cent voting English breakfast tea as the most calming.

Along with their soothing properties, 37 per cent said drinking hot drinks also break up the day, while 37 per cent said it gave them a chance to recharge.

In addition to identifying how we de-stress, the study of 2,000 adults also determined some of the biggest reasons causes of our frustrations.

Common catalysts include a hefty workload (40 per cent), personal finances (39 per cent) and breaking our belongings (32 per cent).

Iain Stuart-Crush, brand director for kitchen appliance brand Breville, which commissioned the research by OnePoll, said: ‘Life can be extremely fast-paced, and we often don’t find those daily moments to focus on ourselves.’

Tina Stallard from The Mindfulness Project said: ‘We can use the time it takes for the kettle to boil to check in with ourselves, refocusing our attention toward what we might need to support our wellbeing.’