YikYak is a smartphone application that allows users to write anonymous messages on a central posting page. Most fans of the app view it as a place to see witty jokes or interesting observations, but I view it as a more significant tool.

Nearly every day, I see a post regarding social anxiety, depression or mental health. This catches my eye because for five years severe social anxiety and periods of depression have made my life extremely stressful on a daily basis. The frequency of these posts tells me that others going through hard times yearn for, as I did, advice for working through serious personal problems.

Based on the frequent concerning posts I see on YikYak, I assume many other students at the University of Wisconsin are struggling. Over the last few months, I have been lucky enough to work through my own mental struggles. During this period, I learned lessons that not only liberated my life but taught me how to live joyfully again. My hope is that by the end of this column, both struggling and non-struggling students have a few more tools at their disposal to build a better life.

After coming out of years of self-induced stress, my brain had complete command of my thoughts, and I could not control my own way of thinking. I am now able to appreciate the power of positive thinking on the human mind.

The first lesson was recognizing I could control my way of thinking and replace negative thoughts with positive ones. I had grown so accustomed to self-deprecation, I started to accept the put-downs as truth.

Once I began to actively note these thoughts and replace them with uplifting messages, two changes began to happen. First, I was able to see how accustomed I was to my critical inner voice. Second, my self-esteem improved as I stopped shaming myself. The use of positive self-talk, especially in anxious situations, forced me to consider the positive personal characteristics I already had. I imagine everyone can find some aspect of themselves that they like. Whenever you are feeling down, consciously decide to uplift yourself.

Continuous negative thinking made me constantly feel shame. I wrongly assumed others would take revealing what I was going through as a sign of personal weakness. Especially around my male friends, conversations almost never turned to revealing aspects of myself I found troubling. Sports, girls and jokes are routine topics of our conversations, and I felt most of my peers would never consider revealing private aspects of their lives to a group of friends.

In my experience, avoiding conversations requiring personal vulnerability results in the opposite of the intended effect. My tendency to conceal personal troubles left me feeling alienated.

On the day I decided to explain what was going on with my life behind the scenes, I felt closer to my friends than I ever thought I could be. Those who expressed concern and support for my mental health were clearly true friends. Despite my anxiety over self-disclosure and making myself vulnerable, our friendship grew much closer due to the increased understanding of my life experiences. For the first time, I felt real with my friends. I was expressing what was in my deepest heart rather than having superficial banter — and you know what? My life has never been better.

In order for the previous two lessons to actually help, one must understand an apply the following lesson. The only way I was able to move past my old thought patterns was making the decision to do an honest evaluation of my true self.

I can say with confidence that mustering up the courage to do this was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. This task was so stressful because I had no choice but to confront troubling personal characteristics head on. It petrified me to even consider seeing what else I didn’t like about myself. But if I truly wanted to change, I needed to know what problems were worth fixing.

Though it was certainly a challenge, it was the most rewarding experience I’ve ever had. A few months ago writing this article for a school newspaper would have seemed insane to me. In fact, that thought was precisely why I had to get this message out. If I was able to change so much, I know someone reading this can benefit from what I’ve learned. With a little bit of courage and discipline, you too can create a happier life.

Jack Watkins ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in communications.