When Plans Change: A Gentle Reset For Your Mind, Body, and Spirit

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There’s a phrase we’ve all heard:

"Man makes plans, and God laughs."  

Not in a way that means we can't plan anything, but in a way that reminds us that we are not in full control.

If you’re anything like me, a change in plans can feel like more than an inconvenience; it can feel like a full-body experience. I feel my entire nervous system shift when something doesn’t go as I expected.  

I've often spoken about the book, "Who Moved My Cheese?" It is such an amazing book on adapting to change. When I first read this book in my 20s, I instantly decided that my goal was to start becoming more like the character who adapted well to change.  

Who Moved My Cheese? A Book on Adapting to Change.

In my 40s, I'm learning that the greatest thing I can do for myself is not to try so hard to change myself, but to learn who I am and develop tools to keep in my toolbelt based on that knowledge, for specific situations. I've realized that the smartest thing I can do is admit I'm the character closest to who I actually am in that book, and then set up a plan based on that.

What does this look like in real time?

1. Reading “Who Moved My Cheese?”

2. Taking notes on traits I wish I had in similar situations.

3. Praying about what God shows me.

4. Developing a plan that fits my personality and characteristics that will be utilized as tools to help me reach that goal.

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Who I am as a person will more than likely initially reject change.

And yet, I’m learning something important:

Adapting to change is a process, not a switch.

We have to whisper to our bodies and our nervous system, when things shift, letting it know that:

It’s okay.

This wasn’t the plan, but we are still safe.

We are still supported.

We can still move forward.  

Today, as I sat with the shocking turn of my original weekend plans, I found myself reflecting on how often plans change, even when we’ve done everything “right.”

And I was reminded of the scripture:

"Let us not become weary in doing good..." Galatians 6:9 CSB    

Weariness doesn’t always come from doing too much; it can come from resisting what is. (Note: Read this again.)  

As shared in a message I recently heard, we have a choice: we can grow weary, or we can plant.

We can choose to sow seeds in our mental wellness garden that will grow something steadier, stronger, and more rooted.   So when things don’t go as planned, we can pluck from that garden.  

Here’s a gentle reframe:

Don’t grow weary, grow in faith.  

Trust that what you didn’t see coming was not a surprise to God. There is preparation in you, even for the path you didn’t plan.  

A Simple Daily Reset  

When you feel that shift, pause and walk through this:

• Breathe: Take 3 slow, deep breaths. Let your body settle.

• Name it: “This is not what I planned, and that’s okay.”

• Ground yourself: Place your hand on your chest or stomach and remind your body: “I am safe in this moment.”

• Reframe and Ask: “What could be good about this change?”

• Release control: Whisper a short prayer: “God, I trust what You knew was ahead, better than what I had planned.”  

You don’t have to respond to change perfectly. I'm learning that I more than likely won't. I also know that this awareness is growth, and when I know how I will respond, I know how to train my nervous system, once change happens.  

Let's learn who we are as we navigate this life, and trust God to be who He is as we do it.  

Give yourself grace in the space between what you planned and what is unfolding.  

There is still good here.