I feel like I wasted the best days before Arafah

Assalamu alaikum, I'm feeling really guilty and confused right now. I let so many precious moments slip by. My prayers were not right, I barely made any duas, and my heart wasn’t in worship. I got busy with Eid prep, work tasks, deadlines, house stuff, just normal daily life. My ummi kept reminding me to pray and concentrate on ibadah, but I even asked her not to push me. Now almost all of these blessed days are over and tomorrow is the Day of Arafah. Suddenly, I have so much remorse. I want to pray, I want to make dua, I want to get closer to Allah. But at the same time I feel overwhelmed because work pressure and duties are still there. I honestly don’t know how to begin again. Should I start now or wait until tomorrow? How do you return after losing so much time? How can I balance my job, deadlines, salah, duas, and deen without feeling like I'm failing in everything? And another thing-when people say “make dua,” how do you actually do it? Do you just sit and talk to Allah in your own words? Do you read from a book or app? It’s a little embarrassing to ask this as someone born Muslim, but I really need help. Please be kind. I’m already filled with a lot of regret.