But for those in the relaxation business, there are ways to zone out that go deeper than the odd massage or expensive holiday. 'In general, what people need is simple, things like taking time off from work, or limiting their hours at work and not working weekends,' says family physician Francois Fong.

There's no medical definition of relaxation, he says, although signs of stress are easily detected: lack of sleep, weight gain or loss, agitation and loss of concentration. 'When people are relaxed, it's more a subjective feeling: they're calm, able to perform in a normal way, and are healthy,' he says.

It's more about how you manage your life. Here are some tips to get you started on the path to tranquility.

Feel the wind

Tai chi is an ancient Chinese form of exercise that uses slow, controlled and continuously flowing movements to re-energise the body. These graceful movements are said to increase strength and flexibility, and improve overall balance and circulation. It's also touted as a stress reducer that can enhance total well-being.

You can see tai chi being practised all over Hong Kong, but how do you start learning this ancient form of mind and body control? Tai chi master William Ng has been practising the exercise from a young age. Ng teaches nearly 100 classes each month, including at the Four Seasons Hotel by the harbourside pool. They're free - if you're a guest.

A combination of tai chi, qigong (breathing exercises) and meditation is on offer through the Chinese and American Tai Chi Chuan Association.

Get organised

Control of your life is the key, according to Steve Paine, acupuncturist at the Holistic Healthcare Practice. 'The whole thing about health is that if you have relaxed control of your life, you're not stressed. The busiest people, the most active people, are probably the least stressed.' Paine recommends documenting goals, and writing down your feelings on a regular basis. 'You need that physical-neuro connection that takes place when you sit down and think out what you really need, what you really want,' he says.

Make a list of projects, and try to stick to it. Don't pile too much on your plate, and try to devote a portion of the day to getting things done. As long as you're not worrying about what you should be doing, you'll feel more centred, he says. 'It's like a pendulum ... swing from side to side. In Hong Kong, people swing to extremes.'

Clear your mind

Having gone to the bother of finding some quiet time, the last thing you want is a flurry of thoughts racing through your head. For Sandra Gonzalez, who runs free meditation classes at the Healing Circle, clearing the head takes determination.

'Find somewhere in your home, a little corner dedicated to relaxation,' she says. Light a candle, sit on a comfortable cushion, and close your eyes.

Try listening to classical music or meditation tapes if you're a novice. 'If you have never meditated before, it's very difficult to do it on your own,' Gonzalez says. 'It's about listening to that inner voice.'

Keep a straight posture, and place the tip of the tongue on the roof of the mouth. 'Imagine the mind is just melting,' Gonzalez says. 'Just listen to the heart beat.'

Or try a group class. Gonzalez gets a mixture of participants in her classes, from investment bankers to doctors. She knows they're relaxed if they start to smile. 'You know you're relaxed when you have a sense of peace - you feel all fears are gone.'

Just breathe

'Sit still and just listen to yourself breathe,' says Julie Choi, a yoga instructor at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental. 'Then gradually lengthen out the breaths. With every consecutive breath, you should be scanning the body, realising how the body feels with each breath.'

During the final five to 10 minutes of class, participants are asked to lie down with their eyes closed and become aware of each part of the body. 'You're making yourself relax with your mind,' Choi says. 'Dis-identifying with the mind'.

True relaxation is when you can almost let go of the mind and allow it to release all of its activity, she says.

Electric escape

'Wireless and radio technologies, mobile phones and internet information highways create synthetic electromagnetic fields of every frequency, invisibly bombarding our living space, our atmosphere, around the clock,' says Rosemary Innes, who is holding workshops on what she calls electro-stress at the New Age Shop next month.

'A few years ago, I decided to learn to use a computer,' Innes says. 'I was keeping the books for a small shop. Not being particularly adept with number crunching, it was a discipline to sit down once a week to enter the figures.

'Within 20 minutes of switching on the computer, I would feel my brain begin to seize up. Normal service was resumed almost immediately on leaving the vicinity of the computer. After repeating this experience for a few weeks, it seemed to me this was more than resistance to the job. It was my first conscious experience of the effects of electro-stress.' Ten years and 'much investigation, research, healing practice and experience later', she created a holistic electro-stress consultancy offering electro-pollution solutions.

Innes says people have not had enough time in which to evolve to withstand these changes. 'Those of us who sit at computers and carry mobile phones - and even those who don't - are subject to high levels of stress in our subtle energy fields, a stress that wasn't present in our genetic reality even two generations ago.'

Innes says that to become resistant to electro-stress, we need to reinforce our energy field as much as possible to help it 'retain its integrity in the choppy seas of electro-pollution'.

She says this can be done by practising any form that supports constant inner connection. 'I have witnessed tai chi practitioners who register no disorganisation in their energy fields when exposed to mobile-phone radiation under test conditions - similarly with other states of meditation,' Innes says.

Slow down

'If you want to relax, you have to slow down,' says Dhananjay Kulkarni of Urban Yoga. 'The more you do, the less you sleep - and sleep is extremely important to relax.' He recommends getting to bed by 10pm and an early rise at 6am. Get rid of the TV, turn off the phone and re-prioritise your time.

'I enjoy reading in bed, so I always do that for at least half an hour before I sleep. I feel like I've given myself a small gift, and that feeling is warm and relaxing,' he says.

Eat carbohydrates

Complex ones, such as high grains, are packed with vitamin B, which can help reduce stress. According to dietician Sylvia Lam See-way, carbohydrates can raise serotonin levels in the brain, creating a sense of happiness and relaxation.

'I encourage people to have some kind of carbohydrate food as a snack about 4pm to 5pm. It increases energy and reduces stress.' These snacks shouldn't be sugary or accompanied by coffee, which is a brain stimulant. Cut out chips and soft drinks, which enhance the mood temporarily, but will leave you in a slump afterwards.

Lam also warns against eating on the run. 'If you do, especially breakfast or lunch, you have the feeling of not having had anything,' she says.

Take at least 20 to 30 minutes over a meal, and chew slowly. 'Enjoy every bite of food.'