Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him).
How can I travel the path to Allah when I am in a bad environment which hardens my heart?
You can do this by making sure your heart is continually present with Allah and those in Allah’s presence. Thus although your body is in a bad environment, your heart is in a good one. You can only do this by sincerely turning to Allah and by forcing yourself to be present with Him. One of the best means of softening the heart is bestowing abundant prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ and imagining that you are in the blessed Rawdah in front of him.