No matter how busy our schedules, wellness experts advocate allocating some 'me time' every day. Regular self-nurturing, they say, reduces stress, helping us remain balanced.
Although there may be plenty of places to let off steam, sometimes all we need is time out in our own home. This is where 'special rooms' - which may not be an entire room at all, but a nook or a corner - come into play.
We looked at some of the innovative ways Hongkongers are staking out these spaces in their city homes.
Marie Lee, designer and cross-media artist
Special room: studio
Marie Lee's home on campus at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where she teaches at the School of Creative Media, needs to double as a studio. The spacious living room, with its dark shiny floor, pale yellow walls and open layout, is perfect.
'I believe simple is better so I try not to overload the place with items,' says Lee. 'I have some of my drawings framed on the wall and a poster by my favourite Iranian designer. These can be quickly taken down when the wall space is needed to display other artwork. Otherwise, the walls are left blank so I can put up my work in progress.'