30 and struggling with my hijab - need advice from older sisters
Assalamu alaikum. I’m hoping for some perspective from older sisters who wear the hijab. I began wearing it at 9 because I liked how it looked and even encouraged my sisters, cousins, and friends to try it. Lately I regret starting so young - I didn’t really understand what it meant or why I was doing it. I’m married now and finding the hijab difficult at times. Sometimes I resent it and feel trapped, because my family is religious and all the women there wear hijab. It would be really upsetting for them if I took it off, especially for my younger siblings and close friends. My husband says he doesn’t mind and tells me to remove it if I truly don’t want to wear it, but it’s not that simple for me. Another thing that confuses me is I notice I feel jealous of some Muslim women I know who don’t wear hijab - they seem freer to do what they want. Of course, many of them aren’t surrounded by practicing families, but still I feel like people expect me to represent Islam and I’m not always comfortable with that. I’m a struggling Muslim myself. My core issue is feeling like I can’t take it off, like I’m forcing myself to wear it when my heart isn’t always in it. No one is physically forcing me, but I worry most about how my family would react and how it would affect my relationship with them. I love them and feel I could give up wearing hijab to keep them at peace, even though I know that’s not the best intention for wearing it. It would be particularly painful for my aging parents. Has anyone been through this? How did you handle the guilt, family expectations, and your own faith journey? Any advice on finding clarity and peace with whatever choice I make would mean a lot.