Kuala Lampur, Sept. 25 -- When a semester ends, university campuses feel different. The hustle and bustle of the lecture halls and student clinics halt temporarily, and the familiar rush of assessments, meetings, and teaching schedules begins to ease. For lecturers, this transitional quiet period offers something that can easily be overlooked during a busy academic year: space.

A semester break does not have to be defined by how much work we manage to complete while students are away. Neither does it need to mean a complete withdrawal from academic life. Perhaps its real value lies somewhere in between, giving ourselves time to slow down, reflect and reconnect with the other parts of our lives.

Academic work demands sustainable mental a...