Anxiety Attacks (also known as panic attacks) are often experienced as a feeling of dread - an intense fear that something terrible is about to happen like you might die, lose control of yourself, or lose your sanity. These experiences can be extremely frightening, especially since they can occur at anytime and anywhere - maybe while driving in your car, standing in line, lying in bed, or just watching TV. Anxiety attacks may seem unusual when encountered, but they're a very common result of "anxiety overload".