Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines self-deprivation: as voluntary denial of oneself from possessing, using, consuming, or enjoying something desired.
My experience with self-deprivation has been hard to swallow because I grew accustomed to separating my happiness from the tasks that are necessary for what I thought I needed to succeed. A perfect example, I graduated from high school (which is by the way a huge accomplishment for most people in my community) but I never gave myself the celebration I needed after committing to a 4-year long-term dedicated solely to school. My mindset became “Okay, Diana what’s next…you don’t have time to be celebrating.”
May I add I had a whole semester off before starting my college classes…so there definitely was time. The truth is I just did not know how to celebrate anything that I had accomplished because I started to view every accomplishment I had as something minimal (no big deal, right!)
I was absolutely wrong!
Once I entered college my experiences and perspectives changed completely. As a student, I learned to build my voice and provide not only resources for myself but for other students as well. Every obstacle a student faced rather it was preparing for a test, learning study habits, or submitting hundreds of applications to gain opportunities was worth celebrating because those small tasks could lead to exceptional outcomes.
The deprivations within the college lifestyle are already difficult to defeat…learning how to budget, debating on where to work, learning how to be an active student, and even learning to deal with stress-related issues, but as I continue to experience the college lifestyle I realized I could not let my happiness be controlled by my circumstances. I had to control how my happiness can be celebrated rather by myself, or with my friends and family. Every opportunity to be surrounded by my loved ones or myself was a form of celeberation that I could not take for granted.
My self-deprivation led me to believe that opportunities given to me were solely based on mandatory outcomes rather than a moment to enjoy along the way.