The Perpetually Surprised Guy

For most of my life, I was that guy who always looked like he'd just walked in on a surprise party. For himself. Every. Single. Day.

My friends called me "The Astonished Guy." At first, I thought it was a compliment. Spoiler alert: it wasn't.

Life as a Reality Show

For years, I felt like I was watching life like it was some bizarre reality TV show. Everyone else seemed to be contestants, and there I was, stuck behind the screen, mouth agape, wondering, "Is this for real?"

The Accidental "Oh!" Pioneer

I was the king of "Oh!" before I even knew it was a thing.

  • "Oh! People actually enjoy small talk?"
  • "Oh! You mean not everyone's brain is like a browser with 74 tabs open?"
  • "Oh! You're saying it's not normal to feel every emotion at maximum volume?"

Yeah, turns out I had ADHD and high sensitivity. Oh! (See what I did there?)

The 47-Year Misunderstanding

For 47 years, I thought being perpetually surprised by life was my greatest weakness. I was wrong. (Not the first time, won't be the last.)

Then, at the ripe old age of 47, when most people are having a midlife crisis and buying a sports car, I had an epiphany. A cheapiphany, if you will. No Porsche required.

I realized that my constant state of "Oh!" wasn't a bug. IT WAS A FEATURE.

That wide-eyed wonder? It was my superpower. My ADHD kryptonite. My secret weapon against a world that often feels like it's set to "Maximum Chaos" mode.

Embracing the "Oh!"

So I leaned into it. Hard.

  • I "Oh!"-ed at every obstacle.
  • I "Oh!"-ed in the face of adversity.
  • I "Oh!"-ed my way through traffic jams, work stress, and that time I accidentally liked my ex's Instagram post from 2015. (Oh! Oops.)

The Result?

It worked. It really freaking worked.

Wanna Try? 

  1. Step 1: Notice the Sh*storm
    Your boss is yelling. Your kid just drew a masterpiece on the wall. Your pants don't fit. Whatever. Just notice it.
  2. Step 2: Say "Oh!"
    That's it. Just "Oh!" Not "Oh crap!" or "Oh #@$%!" Just "Oh!" Like you're mildly surprised to find a penguin in your fridge. Curious, not panicked
  3. Step 3: Pause
    Take a breath. Or don't. Just exist for a second without trying to fix/break/eat anything
  4. Step 4: Choose Your Adventure
    Micro-action: Do something tiny. Put one sock in the laundry. Write one word of that report. Anything.
    OR Non-action: Do nothing. Sometimes the best thing to do is absolutely nada. Be a zen potato.

Hey, if you're too lazy for four whole steps (we get it, life's tough), or if you're just starting out, here's a pro tip: You can actually boil this down to three steps. Why? Because that pause in step 3 often happens naturally when you say "Oh!". You're automatically creating a tiny break in your usual thought patterns. It's like hitting a mini pause button on your reactions. This happens naturally, without you having to consciously think about pausing. So, by saying 'Oh!', you're getting the pause for free - it comes built-in with the 'Oh!'

So, here's your streamlined Oh! method:

  1. Notice the Chaos (Same as before, just be aware of the madness)
  2. Say "Oh!" (This automatically includes a mini-pause. Two for the price of one!)
  3. Choose Your Oh!-venture (Micro-action or non-action, you decide)

There you have it. Three steps to Oh! your way to sanity. Even a sloth could remember that (if they cared about emotional regulation, which they probably don't).

PD: There's no wrong way to Oh! Unless you're Oh!-ing at a bear. Then you're doing it wrong. And possibly becoming bear food.

--- Nils

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