sitting, neck pain and perception of muscle tension

Hi there

Would kindly welcome your input on the subject.

For the last few years sitting has triggered chronic neck pain - suboccipital and trap region sometimes across the shoulder blade and mid back as well. I catch myself ‘tensing up’ in the neck and back - if I consciously relax my body it seems to help with the pain. However, I have to consciously do this or else I slip into the feeling of tension. Pretty sure there is some psychological load associated with sitting as I had a high stress two years in which most of my stress was hunched over a desk?

Could a good management strategy be to consciously relax my body when sittingover and over to the point where I ‘re-learn’ sitting to not be a tension inducing activity? Or is this an exercise in futility / are there other recommended approaches?

Thanks and appreciated as always!