sister
Auto-translated

Feeling like I messed everything up, and now I’m stuck

Assalamu alaikum. I know this might not seem directly about Islam, but it’s been weighing on me so much, and I keep wishing Allah would just fix it for me, even though I know it’s all my fault. Honestly, I don’t see how it could ever be fixed. My biggest struggle has always been my insecurities. They stopped me from being confident and feeling like a real person. I was never insecure as a child, but as a teen, everything changed. That’s when I stopped being the hardworking, healthy kid I was. Depression and anxiety just took over, and it messed up my whole outlook on life. In my late teens, I got over some of it because, over time, I started to accept things. I found comfort in knowing Allah creates everyone perfectly. So even if I didn’t like my face, Allah did, because He’s the one who made me. But then I realized something awful-everything I hated about my face wasn’t from Allah’s creation. It was my own doing. My jaw is recessed, and looking at childhood photos, I see the exact moment I started bad habits. At 11, I began mouthbreathing while eating and drinking. I saw someone doing it and thought it seemed comfortable (silly, I know, but I remember exactly when I started). You can see the difference in photos right away. I had awful posture, pulled all-nighters almost daily from 14 to 20, ate junk, never exercised-I was a really disobedient child who didn’t listen to my parents. When I felt insecure, I begged for braces, acting rude and entitled, not caring how expensive it was or that I only wanted them for looks. I had no clue that braces and extractions could actually make things worse. All of that led to severe jaw recession, a real medical issue. Being unattractive isn’t the problem, but a recessed jaw can require surgery. I’m heartbroken because it wasn’t just in my head-I became insecure because I made myself ugly. And it’s all my fault. Allah gave me a normal face, and I ruined it by being ungrateful and unhealthy. I used to find comfort in knowing Allah makes everyone as they should be, but I had that and destroyed it. The Qur’an says in Surah An-Nisa, "Whatever good comes to you is from Allah, and whatever evil befalls you is from yourself"-and I’ve brought so much harm on myself. I just wish Allah would fix it all, but I’ve ruined everything. Now I have a real reason to be insecure. I don’t know what to do. I really don’t want surgery, but I’m stuck with this face that reflects how terrible I’ve been. I’m so sad that I was ever ungrateful. How do you deal, as a Muslim, with something that’s your own fault? Is making dua for a solution without taking action (I’m terrified of surgery) considered not "tying your camel"?

Comments

Share your perspective with the community.

sister
Auto-translated

Sis, I feel this so much. I messed up my teeth from grinding and never going to the dentist, and now I regret it every day. May Allah ease your pain and grant you acceptance of yourself. You're not alone.

sister
Auto-translated

Girl, I did the same-mouthbreathing ruined my jaw. But wallahi, you're not terrible. You were a kid. Allah is the Most Merciful. Your worth isn't your face. Keep making istighfar and dua. Maybe look into myofunctional therapy?

sister
Auto-translated

Making dua IS tying your camel 💖. You're asking Allah while also acknowledging you may need surgery someday. But maybe start small-see a muslim-friendly therapist for body image? It helped me tons.

Add a new comment

Log in to leave a comment