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CONTENTS
THE TEAM
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a eh ase :N el od M Jusk Ask: Q&A by Youth
M y
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Design Team Ahmed Saleem Tayel Shahzad Maha Siddiqui
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Qur'an & Science: The Value of Time
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Illustration Anshaal Hussein Cover Photo Nargis Naqvi
Editors Sarah Khan Zara Khawaja Maha Siddiqui Komal Adeel Saleha Bakht Rabia Ahmed Ghulam Jamil Eiman Malik Mentor Hina Mirza This is a project by:
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(www.turn2learn.ca) Contact us: info@myvoicecanada.com www.myvoicecanada.com facebook.com/myvoicecanada
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Dear Reader, Assalamu `Alaikum!
Editor Maariyah Baig
D.I.Y: Life Savers
e e M st o B e Pa dt th ou om Pr t fr e: las ur at :B Fe mic o C
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My Neighbour
E M y P ven ts ers :H pe cti ala ve lF oo dF est
Fashion
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C To rea o L ti ate ve to W Ap rit olo in giz g: e
le Ro
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Health: Taking Time Out for Yourself
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Editor In Chief Nargis Naqvi
letter from the editor
May the peace and blessings of God be upon you all. I hope this issue finds you in the best of health and faith. This is the 4th and final issue in our first annual cycle, and there has been incredible positive growth and change since the first copy of this magazine was published. We are forever grateful to Allah (Glorified and Exalted) for making this possible, and for giving us the opportunity to be part of such an amazing project. We are also thankful to all our volunteers, students who have helped from the beginning, or just joined us for this issue, who have put in a lot of effort to make this magazine come to life.
To go along with the idea of celebrating our one year anniversary, this 4th issue touches on the very important themes of self-reflection and the value of time. As we are nearing the end of the school year and look forward to summer vacation, this is a chance to reflect on what we have achieved this year and how we can spend the summer reviving ourselves spiritually, mentally and physically. I hope you find the articles provide a unique insight to this theme of self-reflection, and possibly even give you To add to the milestones, we held our first official the boost you need to start your holidays with good intentions. event as an independent magazine this past May, the MY Mother Tribute. It was a gala celebrating Keep reading and have a wonderful summer! the MY Voice mothers and their daughters, and recognizing the importance of our mothers and the never ending gratitude we have towards them.
Maariyah Baig
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HEALTH
BY A MINAH AHMED Grade 11
“Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery that you miss by going too fast—you also miss a sense of where you are going and why.” – Eddie Cantor.
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ost of us lead crazy and busy lives, whether it is juggling school, work or family, but the one thing we never seem to have time for is our self. Making sure that we make time to relax, unwind and reflect upon our day is usually not our biggest priority. Rest and relaxation rejuvenates our bodies, mind, and mood, and is linked to learning and memory function. Not getting enough rest can have a negative effect on our mood, immune system, memory, and stress levels. No one can function under a burden of stress. Functioning under a constant burden is like trying to fly an airplane with the wheels unlocked and the flaps down. There’s more ‘drag’ and greater resistance, in which much of our energy is wasted. Relaxation can also mean taking the time to rejoice in what we’ve accomplished. Recognizing your accomplishments no matter how small can be a forceful drive to achieve even more. As much as school, work and family take priority in our life, it is also important to schedule time for our own renewal. Here are four ways to make time for you and lead a well-balanced life:
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The best way to make time for you is to follow a routine. When we have no structure or organization, we become distracted and procrastinate, and therefore nothing gets done. By attempting to maintain a balanced routine, you will find that you are more at ease, have more time, and will experience an overall sense of peace and well-being.
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The second way to make time for yourself is to make a list of how you spend your time. Writing down what you did throughout the day will help you to see whether or not you used your time effectively. Perhaps a few minutes throughout your day could have been spared for relaxation. Connecting with Allah (SWT) is another way to make time for you. Belief in God, or a higher power, can be a deep well from which to draw inspiration, guidance, and strength that can help in times of stress.
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The last tip is remembering that you cannot be good to anyone unless you are good to yourself. Start by being good to yourself. Take the time to listen to your body and mind. Ask yourself, “What do I need to do in order to de-stress?”
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As busy as our schedules might be, taking time out of our day to sit, relax, and reflect is extremely beneficial. Our lives need balance. Life is all about balance; it helps us to excel in all aspects of living. Never forget, there are 24 hours in the day to set aside a few hours for your needs.
D.I.Y
BY DUHA AL-NADVI
Trouble sleeping? Blink fast. Your eyes will become tired, helping you fall asleep. Want to stay hydrated and prevent muscle soreness during exercise? Eat an orange. Gatorade and PowerAde are suitable only when watered down and during a workout. Otherwise, they’re just sugar and empty calories.
Phone running low? Put it on airplane mode and it'll conserve the charge. Have a paper cut? Immediately stop the pain with Chap Stick.
If you’ve lost your Android device and it's on vibrate, you can find it by going on Google Play>Android Device Manager>Ring. Mess up on a voicemail? Press # to erase and re-record it. Don’t want to waste money on college or university textbooks? At chegg.com you can rent expensive textbooks online for a semester instead of buying them all at a bookstore. At slugbooks.com, you can compare prices from the original to other sources, giving you a very big difference in prices.
Out of candles? A crayon will burn for minutes. about
Want to relieve stress? Eat one of the many: a banana, pasta, almonds, grapes, green tea, oatmeal, chocolate, watermelon, orange juice, cornflakes or tuna.
Mosquito bite? Press a hot spoon against it, the heat will destroy the reaction and the itching will stop.
Smiling will immediately help improve a bad mood; using the muscles is enough to trigger “happy” chemicals in the brain.
Accidently close a tab? Press Control-Shift-T, it’ll bring it back (for PC users).
Want to reduce tension and stress? Squeeze the fleshy place between your index finger and thumb, (known as the hoku point in Chinese medicine) applying firm pressure for just 30 seconds.
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Need sources for a paper? Use scholar.google.com instead of google.com for better quality sources.
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Feeling really hot? Run your wrist under cool tap for a couple minutes, it’ll cool your blood down.
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