After years of debilitating social anxiety, a special tool changed my life

Social anxiety is something CNN's Kristen Rogers knows all too well. She details how debilitating the disorder was from childhood to young adulthood, and how cognitive behavioral therapy is the special tool that helped her.

Ever since elementary school, I've experienced intense fear during social interactions both virtual and in person, whether it was as small as figuring out a response to a text or as big as presenting at a work meeting. These are hallmarks of social anxiety, a phobia of being judged, negatively evaluated or rejected in a social or performance situation, according to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America.

Social anxiety is one of the most common mental disorders around the world, Fallon Goodman, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of South Florida, told CNN's Chasing Life podcast: "About 4% of the world population will have social anxiety disorder at some point in their lives, which is roughly 300 million people."