Girls Trip to the Beach: The 3-Night Reset Every Woman Needs

There is a particular kind of tired that a good night's sleep doesn't fix. Nothing's wrong. You're not sick. You're just running on the fumes of everyone else's schedule.

Three nights at the beach with two girlfriends fixed it.

That's all it was. Three nights. Not a week, not a trip we planned a year out and stressed over. And I came home feeling like myself again in a way I honestly wasn't expecting.

If you haven't done this ever — or in a very long time — consider this your sign.

The one rule that made the whole trip work

There were only three of us, and nobody put their agenda on anyone else.

That sounds like a small thing. It is not.

If one of us wanted to do something different, she went and did it. We are all so different, and we need different things at different times. Some mornings one of us had to work on her business while the other two went off and did their own thing. No guilt. No explaining. No "are you sure you don't mind?"

It was perfect. No pressure.

Do you have friends like that? If you do, text them today. If you don't yet, start with one.

Night one: dinner in, and the treat everyone ordered before bed

Melanie (@melshealthymeals) cooked for us the first night, and it set the tone for the whole trip — cod, scallops, sweet potatoes, and a pile of veggies. Healthy, but the kind of healthy you actually want seconds of.

I brought my favorite sweet treat to share for dessert. The girls loved it so much they ordered some before we went to bed that night. That's the highest compliment a snack can get.

Then we taught Seana how to play mahjong

If you have been curious about mahjong and haven't tried it yet, let this be the nudge.

We spent that first night teaching Seana (@seanaphelps) how to play, and I love this game so much. It works your brain in a way that feels good rather than exhausting, and — this is the part nobody tells you — it builds friendships. Mahjong people find each other. Learn it and you'll have a standing invitation somewhere within a month.

If you want to start, here's exactly what I bought my daughter-in-law:

• This mahjong set from Amazon — the one I'd buy again

• This mat to go with it (it makes the game quieter and easier on your table)

• These racks — worth it, especially when you're learning

Day two: move, work, walk, repeat

We exercised. We worked. We walked on the beach.

Not all at the same time, and not all together — and that's exactly why it worked.

Then we got dressed and went out shopping and to dinner. I wore my new dress that I'd just gotten. I love it because the print gives off fall vibes without being heavy, which is the whole trick this time of year.

While we were out, I found this sweatshirt and fell hard. It was a splurge for a sweatshirt — I'll say that plainly — but it feels incredible on, and I already know I'll be reaching for it nonstop all fall and winter. Cost per wear is going to make me look brilliant.

The cocktail I ordered and didn't finish

At dinner I decided to have a drink. I don't really drink anymore, but I thought, why not.

I ordered a paloma, took a few sips, and just… stopped. It didn't taste that great, and the whole time I kept thinking about how alcohol doesn't do me any favors anymore — especially when it comes to sleep.

I'm not here to tell anyone what to do. I'm just noting that somewhere along the way my body started answering that question for me, and it's a relief not to argue with it.

Day three: hot yoga, a yellow tank, and protein ice cream

We split up again in the morning. Melanie and I went to hot yoga. Seana went to the gym for her progressive overload workout. Then Seana had client work, so Melanie and I went to breakfast and did a little shopping.

We found a Free People Movement store, and both walked out with the Go-To Smooth Square Neck Cami in yellow. It’s the butter yellow I started loving this spring. When two women buy the same thing in the same color, you know it's good.

That afternoon: mahjong, another beach walk, then dinner. I was going to wear these pants, but the other two were both in dresses, so I switched to this dress instead.

The protein ice cream that converted me

Seana had been telling us all trip about how she eats protein ice cream every single night. So of course we had to try it.

I had bought a Ninja Creami the day before the trip — perfect timing. Seana made the base earlier in the day, and when we got home from dinner she walked us through the rest.

It was delicious. Genuinely, not "healthy-dessert" delicious — actually delicious.

I need to get the recipe from her again so I can make it at home, but I did already order the protein powder she used. I think that was the piece that made the biggest difference.

The 5:30 a.m. walk I'll think about all year

Our last morning, all three of us got up at 5:30 and went out for a sunrise walk on the beach.

I can't really describe it. Quiet, cool, the sky doing its thing, nobody else out there. We didn't talk much. We didn't need to.

It was the best possible way to end a perfect getaway.

[Image: sunrise over the water. Alt text: "Sunrise beach walk on a girls trip"]

Your sign to book the trip

So — when is the last time you did something like this?

Not a family vacation where you're the one packing everyone's bag. Not a work thing. Just you and the women who make you feel like yourself.

It doesn't have to be big. Three nights. One condo. Two friends. No agenda. I wrote this blog post all about where I stay and what I like to do.

These are the trips that hold friendships together, and they reset something in you that nothing else quite reaches.

Text the group chat. Pick a weekend. Go.

And if you do, come tell me about it — leave a comment or send me a message. I want to hear where you went and who you went with.

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