The basic premise of CBT is to gain more control over ones behavior by way of being in tune with what our feelings are and why we have them and why we deal with them the way we do. It really is very hard to do through the intensity of anxiety, depression etc. The best place to start is by looking back on a recent event that was a source of extreme emotional intensity. How did I respond to that emotion? It is easier to think of the more understandable, action, then the more esoteric, emotion, or feeling associated with that event. "I had to get out of the store because I felt overwhelmed by all the people and I got too anxious." Okay I have an action. Now I focus on that action and try to gather why I did that. "I felt anxiety about all those people." Okay I understand what I was feeling. But why would being around all those people cause me to feel the need to run away or remove myself from that environment? Was I justified to feel that way? "I respond to being around of people negatively because as a child I was picked on by my peers because I was an emotionally unbalanced child and was an easy target."
But what do I do with all of that? The next time I am in the store and I feel that way, I try not to immediately respond to that anxiety but to try and connect with what I am feeling and why I am feeling that way and is it a reasoned feeling and/or response to the situation? "I am an adult now, I can protect myself if someone decides to make me a target and I am not going to let my insecurities and suspicions dictate what I can or can't do." As I said earlier in this post it is much easier to look back after the fact because it takes practice and repetition with the process to gain enough control of anxiety and emotions to apply these techniques in the moment. I hope this helps and if you have any more questions please feel free to respond to this post.