Hijab in My Hometown: Navigating Fear and Faith

Assalamu’alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh! I pray everyone is in good health and faith, inshaAllah, and Eid Mubarak to all! About the title-I’ll share a bit of my story: I’m a born Muslim (from Muslim parents) but truly embraced Islam about 2.5 years ago, alhamdulillah, after a period of misguidance and distance from the deen. I grew up in Italy, though my parents aren’t Italian, so culturally, I feel Italian. My childhood friends there, whom I’ve known for over a decade, have been supportive of my journey, alhamdulillah, even as I’ve become more practicing, though I did distance myself from some others. But here’s what’s weighing on me: I struggle with anxiety and high blood pressure, which often flare up due to my surroundings. In secondary school, I faced bullying that made my anxiety worse, but during college, things improved, alhamdulillah. Now in university, as a visible hijabi, I find myself constantly on edge. Wearing the hijab has sometimes triggered anxiety because of discrimination and public scrutiny, though in London, where I live now, most people are tolerant, alhamdulillah, so I feel safer. However, back in Italy, Islamophobia is sadly common, especially in my small rural town in the northeast. Women there have faced verbal and even physical harassment just for wearing hijab. A few years ago, after the 2015 immigration crisis, the only mosque in my town was shut down, and you rarely see a hijabi on the streets. I’m really scared to go back. What should I do?