A Simple Moment That Changed My Energy – PLAY
During the last week of 2025, I found a deck of cards.
That same day, my mom and I sat down at the table and ended up playing cards for hours. We played rummy, speed, and double solitaire. We laughed, got a little competitive and just enjoyed playing card games.
What stayed with me most wasn’t the games themselves — it was how I felt afterward. Happy. Calm. Grounded. And it reminded me how much play matters in our lives, especially when everything feels overstimulation, busy and nonstop.
The Kind of Play We Forget About as Adults
Finding that deck of cards brought me right back to childhood — to playing speed with my aunt, the thrill and excitement, and a time when life felt simpler (because it was). I remember how focused I would get and how nothing else really mattered. I was a kid and play felt effortless — something we slipped into without thinking about it.
Those moments were immersive in a way that’s easy to forget as adults. Play wasn’t something we scheduled or justified — it just happened. It wasn’t about winning or being good at the game. It was about being present, connected, and letting joy take up space.
Back then, I didn’t need words for why those moments felt so good. I just knew they did. Now I understand that play was offering something my body still remembers — that feeling of ease, safety, and connection that we often have to be more intentional about as adults.
Why Play Feels So Regulating
When you’re playing — especially with people you trust — your body gets a very clear message: you’re safe here.
Your breath naturally deepens. Your shoulders soften. Your nervous system doesn’t have to stay on guard. This is the state where connection feels easier, creativity flows more freely, and you’re able to be present without forcing yourself to relax.
This is something I teach often inside The Embodied Shift Method — not by telling people to calm down, but by helping them create the internal and external conditions that allow their system to settle naturally.
Play is one of the most accessible ways to do that.
It’s not about doing more. It’s about giving your body experiences that remind it how safety feels.
Learning Something New Together Builds Connection
A few days after playing cards with my mom, I found myself wanting more of that feeling. So I asked a friend if she knew how to play cards and what games she liked.
That simple question turned into an afternoon her teaching me how to play cribbage (here’s the board we played on).
It was kind of challenging (so much counting) and mentally stimulating in the best way. I had so much fun learning something new with a friend.
This is another principle I return to again and again in my work in T.E.S.M. — growth doesn’t have to be intense or isolating to be meaningful. When learning happens in the context of safety, curiosity, and connection, it supports AND expands your nervous system instead of overwhelming it.
Play Doesn’t Have to Cost Money
What stayed with me most was how simple it all was.
We weren’t spending money. We weren’t going out. We weren’t trying to make the moment “count.” Especially right now — when so many people are feeling financial pressure or uncertainty — it was a reminder that meaningful connection doesn’t have to be expensive.
It’s not about the game itself — it’s about what the experience and how it feels in your body.
Being Present Without Performing
Another thing I noticed was how present we were.
No phones. No need photos. No thinking about sharing it to IG later. We weren’t documenting the moment or turning it into content — we were just there.
And honestly, I think that’s something a lot of us are missing.
Presence, connection and joy without needing proof.
When Play Gets Crowded Out
If you’re anything like the women I work with, play isn’t missing because you don’t want it.
It gets crowded out without even realizing it.
Life starts to feel heavy. Days blur together. You’re doing all the “right” things, but your body still feels tense. You might feel on edge, overstimulated, or oddly shut down at the same time. Even rest doesn’t always bring the relief you expect.
Over time, your system forgets what it feels like to be fully present.
How to Invite More Play Into Your Life
So I’ll leave you with this question:
How could you invite a little more play into your life right now?
Not as another thing to add to your to-do list or as self-improvement. But as a way to feel more like yourself again.
Maybe it’s remembering what you loved doing as a kid — before productivity and responsibility took over. The things you did just because they were fun. The activities that helped you lose track of time, even if you weren’t “good” at them.
Or maybe it’s something you always wanted to try but never quite had the chance to. A game you never learned. An instrument you were curious about. A hobby you pushed aside because it felt unnecessary.
This type of PLAY MATTERS
Play doesn’t have to look big or impressive. It can be quiet. It can be simple. It can be something you do at the kitchen table on a random afternoon.
What matters is how it feels in your body — lighter, more present, more connected. Like a small opening where things soften and you remember that life doesn’t always have to feel so serious.
You don’t need to force it. You don’t need to plan it perfectly. Sometimes play finds you the moment you give yourself permission to slow down and say yes.
A Gentle Way to Create More Ease
If any of this resonates — the constant tension, the feeling of being “on” all the time, the sense that even rest doesn’t fully restore you — this is exactly why I created The Daily Shift.
The Daily Shift is a free 5-day guide designed to support women who feel overwhelmed, anxious, or disconnected from themselves, even when they’re doing their best to slow down. It offers simple, nervous-system-supportive practices you can use in real life — small moments that help your body feel safer, more settled, and more present.
Nothing intense. Nothing overwhelming. Just gentle shifts that add up over time.
You don’t need a big change.
Sometimes a small shift is just enough.
Explore The Daily Shift here: https://haley-navarro.kit.com/d93ab1b73b
Here’s to more play, more presence, and more moments that feel like a deep exhale.
— Haley 🤍
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Great article! Have a great day! 😊