Real struggle or just shaitaan? (hijab feelings)
Assalamualaikum sisters, I'm 23 and I've been wearing the hijab for 5 years now - by choice - but honestly it's been a tough ride. From the very early weeks I kept thinking I wanted to take it off because it didn't feel like me, but I pushed through and kept wearing it until now. Lately I feel like a sack of potatoes. I don't want to show my beauty, I don't want to show my hair, I don't want to feel pretty. I just want to sit without worrying if my legs are showing. I want to feel like a 23-year-old, to feel young. With the hijab I feel so old and so unattractive. I'm not conventionally pretty, but alhamdulillah I can see and I can stand on my own two feet. Still, every day feels so exhausting that sometimes I don't even want to go out. What hurts most is that before I started wearing the hijab I felt so connected to Islam. I was strong in my iman, genuinely in love with the deen. Now it feels like that's slipping away. Praying feels harder, reading Qur'an is harder, listening to lectures is harder - I still do them, but it's different. I also think I carry some trauma about my appearance. People have called me ugly more than once, said hurtful things. I never really healed from those wounds before putting on the hijab, and now everything has come together and I'm overwhelmed. If I keep wearing it it feels wrong. If I remove it it also feels wrong. Being a woman is difficult. I feel ashamed that with all the suffering in this dunya, I'm struggling with something that seems small. I pray every day for my brothers and sisters, especially those facing far worse trials. Why am I feeling this? I don't want to trade my akhirah for temporary “freedom” in this life. Maybe what I'm longing for is something this dunya can't give. Jazakum Allahu khairan for listening. Any sincere advice, duas, or personal experiences would mean a lot. Please forgive me if I sound confused - I am.