Why does a stressful week flatten me when my colleague bounces back by Monday?
The short answer
Your body clears stress hormones at a genetically set speed, and the COMT and FKBP5 genes mean some people recover in hours while others take days.COMT helps break down adrenaline and dopamine. A slower variant means stress chemistry lingers longer in your system. The same deadline that energises a fast-clearing colleague can keep you wired and depleted well into the weekend.
Knowing this changes how you plan recovery. If you are a slow clearer, you do not need to toughen up. You need a longer runway after intense weeks, and protected downtime that a faster-clearing person can skip.
Do this today
After your next hard day, block 30 minutes of genuinely low-stimulation time - a walk without your phone. Treat recovery as part of the work, not a reward for it.
Genes in playCOMTFKBP5