Everyone needs a day off. I know lots of people who work for themselves, and it can take a bit of fine tuning to work out a timetable that works for you. Put on top of that the pressure that you're an artist, and your art is meant to be your passion, your calling, and you can suddenly feel like your not a 'real' artist unless you're engrossed in nothing else but you're art, working long hours into the night. Are you a 'real' artist if you stop for tea at a sensible hour and spend your evening chilling out, listening to music and watching films?

I think it's important we all look after ourselves, especially if you want to keep your art practice sustainable and something you continue to love. Artist and writer, Letty McHugh, takes a month off around Christmas when things are quiet anyway. She says a period of rest is important to help her enter the new year with energy and new ideas.

So how do you unwind? What do you do to switch off? We are all wired differently and chilling out can look very different to different people. Here's what works for me:

Stomp It Out

When I'm wound tight, and struggling to relax (or focus on my work for that matter), I like to climb up to a stretch of moorland near me, called Haworth Brow. Up there the heather is high and the puddles are deep! There's no elegant way of working it, you just have to stomp and hope for the best. Filling your lungs with cold crisp air, getting battered by the wind and rain, and watching the colours turn through the seasons. Purple heather fades as the golden grass deepens. You can see for miles and feel insignificant, surrounded by nature. The weight I'm carrying somehow feels lighter after a good stomp!

Go Low

Something else I'm passionate about is my garden. When I was recovering from tuberculosis, the doctor prescribed me as much time as possible outside with fresh air and vitamin D. Unable to exert much energy, I'd spend time just lying in grass, watching woodlice potter about, smelling the earth, discovering shield beetles, and baby frogs! I also discovered how immensely good for the soul it is to look after another life. Growing plants was accessible and achievable in the state I was in and it took the focus off my own situation for a moment or two.

These days, my garden is still a refuge. If I've had a particularly hectic time, a quiet afternoon in the garden will sort me right out. As life gets busy, time in the garden can become rare. Nevertheless, at some point I'll hit a wall and I'll just have to get out there or my mental health will suffer. I don't necessarily have to do much in my garden. It's a small typical Yorkshire terrace back yard. I'm interested in learning what will survive in our immensely damp high altitude, and encouraging the wild to come in, where it can. However getting down to the ground, spending time observing what's going on, is just the medicine I need.

I recently added a few small trees in pots to the space. Come Autumn I couldn't believe how many golden leaves they created! So I decided to have a go at making leaf mould. In the cold, before it got too dark, I rummaged about on the ground gathering up everything I could. The different shapes, colours and tones filled my heart with joy. It forced me to slow down and forget what had been on my mind.

“Look For The Magic In The Daily Routine” - Lou Barlow

It's important to find a balance that works for you. There's no wrong or right way of working things.

For me, myself, I know that if I don't break up my day and force myself to have breaks, I will get over stimulated, whether that be stressed or immensely excited by my work, meaning I won't sleep, and then I'll be a complete mess the next day. If this repeats itself over days to come, I'll get run down, poorly, and the amount and quality of work I make will suffer, than if I take it steady. Remember, the tortoise wins the race!

So I myself am quite pedantic when it comes to a routine. I'll try to get up, washed, dressed, fed, and working by 9am. I'll break off for some fresh air and a good walk with my dog, Hamish at 11.30am, which often falls into a full hours lunch if possible. Then the afternoon is the time I really get into the zone. But I'll make sure I stop at 5pm, close my studio door and go prepare food for tea.

I've worked out which bits of the day I can be more focused, and which bits I get cranky. Managing a chronic condition means I can start to flag leading up to the times I take my medication, and it's really important I look after my blood sugar levels. So I give myself easier jobs to do in these moments. For instance, around 4.30 I aim to try to tidy my studio (that doesn't always happen!) and write a list of what I need to think about the next day, so I can switch off.

One thing I've learnt along the way, is not to write specific lists of things to do, but instead, plan what you'll focus on each hour. If you don't finish the task you can always allocate another hour, another day to focus on it again. Look at what you have achieved,rather than what you haven't.

Sometimes when I'm really engrossed in a painting, I still make myself stop, reset with a yoga session, eat tea, then come back to my work. However, I make sure I stop with enough time to refocus my mind before bed.

Reading books really calms me down and Hamish isn't happy unless we have some time on the couch together!

You might be reading this and be thinking,“what on earth?” We all work in different ways, and it's important to work out what's best for you. But remember to listen to your body.

You are your most important tool!