Written piece
My 'Sofa Moment'
Mary-Ann Abur
Nigeria
About this piece
My 'Sofa Moment' is a personal story on sleep paralysis. It turns a terrifying night ordeal into one of hope: naming fear removes its power. The episode is likened to Commonwealth-wide experiences, emphasizing resilience while calling on readers to share their own 'sofa moments'.
I once was lying with my back on the sofa, binging movies, telling myself "I must stay awake". My siblings were three feet away, laughing at the TV. The parlour light flickered. The air felt heavy. No one noticed me.
Gbam!!!
My head and chest vibrated fiercely. Teeth clenched. Ears rang like a broken radio stuck between stations. Eyes blinked in sync: closing, opening, closing. Chest heavy, like a stone sat on me. I tried screaming—nothing. Tried moving my arm—dead weight. Sweat soaked my shirt like chilled Coke.
Two minutes. Then release.
I gasped, panting, while the movie kept playing. They saw nothing. That's sleep paralysis. My mind woke up but my body forgot to. In Nigeria we call it 'spiritual attack'. In Jamaica they call it 'duppy riding you'. In India, 'ghost pressure'. Different names, same fear.
Across the Commonwealth, millions of us lie on our sofas fighting silent battles while life goes on three feet away. Anxiety. Exam pressure. Migration grief. Colorism. We smile for the TV, then freeze when the lights go off. We are happy-go-lucky with the brightness of the day, but humbled in our closets by our own problems.
For years I thought night was dangerous and sleep was the enemy. For years I let people call me ‘lazy’ and ‘sulky’. I let them define my emotions. They didn't know. I didn’t know.
I know now.
Sleep paralysis cannot kill you. Naming it takes the power away. If you have a ‘sofa moment’—something that keeps you up at night—discover it. Face it boldly! Never let it define who you are.
Mine is sleep paralysis. What's yours?