Ever feel like turning to faith just brings more hardship?

Salam. Growing up in a Muslim household, my mom was really strict about religion, and honestly, it made me pull away from Islam for a long time. A few months back, I decided to give it another shot-started praying regularly, making dua, the whole deal. Everyone says that when you get closer to Allah SWT, He makes things easier and opens doors for you. But for me, it felt like the opposite. I didn't feel that peace people talk about, my duas seemed unanswered, and life just didn't improve. It got so discouraging that I ended up stopping. Now I'm stuck, not sure what to do or where to go from here. Any advice?