Exhausted and empty, asking for du'a
Assalamu alaikum. I’m so tired. This year has been one of the toughest of my life. I fought depression and self-harm for years and only managed to come out of that darkness four years ago. Two years ago things finally started going well - until this year. I remember seeing a clip in May about how Allah (swt) reminds us that this dunya is not our final purpose, and how He sometimes does that by testing us when we feel content. I felt grateful then, because I truly thought life was calm and without heavy worry. Then in June I discovered a lump in my breast. I couldn’t be checked properly until October, and those months of waiting were unbearable: panic attacks, constant anxiety, no answers. Every night I’d lie awake wondering what it could be, crying, struggling to breathe. The appointment showed it wasn’t the worst thing I feared, but it didn’t end there. More lumps appeared, and the doctors said I might have to live with a body that keeps producing them. What if one turns out to be malignant someday? That thought torments me every single day. Since that June, part of me feels dead. I’m not truly happy anymore. I can’t picture my future the way I used to just days before - I loved dreaming about the life and the spouse I hoped to become, imagining building a family. But what if the thing I fear actually happens? I could never bear the idea of causing that kind of pain to the people I love. How am I supposed to imagine a future when this is always on my mind? I’ve tried to move on, to learn how to live with it, but the physical pain and discomfort from the lumps make it almost impossible to stop thinking about them, even for a day. People tell me Allah tests only what we can bear, but I feel weak. Sometimes I’m afraid I’ll collapse. I’m scared and exhausted. A new year is coming and I should be graduating, but this year I missed many exams because of everything going on, and I’m very behind. As if that wasn’t enough, I found out my father has been unfaithful to my mother for months. I can’t understand how he could hurt her like this… she’s the strongest, kindest woman I know. I haven’t told anyone because it’s not my place to expose his sin, but holding this inside is so painful. Seeing him act loving with my mother during the day and then hearing him speak to another woman at night… may Allah guide him back to the straight path. I’m terrified my mother might find out one day. I couldn’t bear to see her heart broken. My father has been an amazing dad in many ways and always provided for me… if only he acted the same as a husband. There’s constant tension at home and it weighs on me, especially with everything else I’m carrying. I wonder why I have to endure so much. I try to remember that everything happens for a reason and I try not to complain, but it’s hard to smile and pretend everything is fine when we’re together. It’s hard to think about the future when my health feels uncertain. Every day feels like drowning a little more. I’m scared I won’t make it. I feel desperate and overwhelmed. But I haven’t abandoned my salah - my prayers are the only thing keeping me going. Please keep me in your du'as.