4 Reasons You Deserve to Take a Personal Day - The Muse

4 Reasons You Deserve to Take a Personal Day - The Muse4 Reasons You Deserve to Take a Personal DayRemember when you were a kid and youd pretend to be sick because you didnt want to go to school that day?Well, when youre an adult, you technically dont have to pretend anymore. You can just take a personal day when you need a break. But thats always easier said than done, right? Its hard to look your boss (and your co-workers) in the eye and say that youre taking a day off for personal reasons. But if you have personal days worked into your benefits, you 100% should be taking themSo, when can you let yourself off the guilt hook and take advantage of those personal day youve earned?Here are four times you deserve to stay at home, unplug, and relax- completely guilt-free.1. You Could Really Use the Day Off for a Doctors Appointment/Family Matter/MovingWe all know how hard it can be to lock down that dentist appointment when your dentists been booked up for months. Or, how challenging it is to pack up your entire apartment to move when your only free time is after work, when youre exhausted.You shouldnt feel guilty for using one of your PTO days to take care of a personal matter (theyre called personal days after all). Especially if the situation feels nothing like something youd categorize under a vacation day or sick day. As Muse editor, Stacey Lastoe, perfectly puts it, a personal day can be just that, something more personal that youre less likely to be pressed about, even casually.2. You Havent Taken a Break in a Really Long TimeMaybe its been many months since your last vacation, or you havent missed a single day of work in the past year (not even when everyone else was out sick with the flu).Sure, maybe youre not burned out, but youve also been working hard, and a day off sounds really good right about now. Youve earned yourself a break- and youd be surprised how much more refreshed youll feel after even a day away from your computer.3. Youre Burning Out (and People Are Starting to Notice)Of course, if you havent taken many days off and you find yourself losing steam, patience, and quite possibly your head, I not only recommend but insist you take a day for yourself.And chances are Im not the only one who thinks so. If you can feel yourself burning out- and fast- your team can probably sense it, too. Maybe youre turning in sub-par work, or constantly missing deadlines, or quiet in brainstorming sessions. Regardless, youre not contributing a whole lot, and might benefit from some time off.4. You Dont Have Any Plans to Use Up Your PTO DaysLets say your company gives you 15 total PTO days. You use a couple when youre deathly ill, maybe one for a long weekend, but besides that youre just not the vacation type. For you, using up a weeks worth of days doesnt seem necessary, and yet youre getting paid for them, so you cant not use them.This could be a great opportunity to take time here or there when you find yourself tired, overwhelmed, or ju st in need of a lazy day. Skipping out on work when you dont have a legitimate (in professional terms) reason can feel sleazy, but in reality youre probably a lot more blameless than youd think. Personal days are meant for helping you be your best work self- just like vacation and sick days- which can mean anything from recovering from mental and emotional exhaustion (read burnout) to getting your life under control so you can come back to work ready to be productive.So really, using them is one of the smartest things you can do in your career.Ready to take the leap? Heres how to ask your boss for time off the right way.