The Stress Curve: When Overtraining Feels Like Overthinking

The Fine Line Between “Pushing Through” and “Burning Out”

If you’ve ever told yourself “I just need to do more”, more workouts, more to-dos, more effort, you’re not alone. But sometimes, doing more doesn’t move us forward. It keeps us stuck in a stress loop that feels eerily similar whether it’s happening in the gym or in our minds.

Overtraining and overthinking might look different on the surface, but they share the same biological roots: an overstimulated stress response, depleted neurotransmitters, and a body that’s no longer listening to its cues for rest and recovery.

The Stress Curve: Finding the Sweet Spot

There’s a reason a moderate amount of stress can feel good. It sharpens focus, builds resilience, and drives growth. This is what we call the stress curve. On the upward slope, small doses of stress (mental or physical) can be energizing and even motivating.

But when we stay in that “activated” state too long, we cross the peak and tumble down the other side. This is where burnout, exhaustion, irritability, and inflammation live. The same physiological stress response that helps us crush a workout or meet a deadline becomes the very thing that drains us.

When the Brain and Body Speak the Same Language

Your brain and body don’t differentiate between emotional stress and physical stress. They both activate the same hormonal and nervous system pathways.

• Too many back-to-back HIIT workouts? Your cortisol stays high.

• Too many racing thoughts at night? Cortisol does the same thing.

• In both cases, recovery becomes harder, sleep gets disrupted, and your nervous system stays “on.”

  
  

This is why you can feel wired and tired all at once, mentally spent but physically restless. This is the thing so many of my clients have in common.

The Role of Genetics: COMT, Methylation, and BDNF

Your genes help determine how efficiently you move through stress and whether your “sweet spot” on the stress curve is short and steep or wide and forgiving.

1. The COMT Gene: The Worrier vs. The Warrior

The COMT gene (catechol-O-methyltransferase) helps your body break down dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine, which are the same neurotransmitters involved in motivation and stress.

• Worrier Type (slow COMT activity): You process stress hormones more slowly, which can make you more sensitive to stress but also more detail-oriented and focused under moderate pressure. When out of balance: Overthinking, anxiety, and mental fatigue become common because stress chemicals linger longer.

• Warrior Type (fast COMT activity): You clear stress hormones quickly, which makes you calm under short-term pressure, but you may crave more stimulation and push harder physically to feel that “edge.” When out of balance: Overtraining and burnout can sneak up because your stress response resets so fast you may not notice early signs of depletion.

Understanding your COMT variation helps you know when to push and when to pause.

2. Methylation Matters

COMT depends on a healthy methylation cycle, which supports neurotransmitter balance, detoxification, and mood regulation. If your methylation genes (like MTHFR, MTR, or MTRR) aren’t working optimally, your ability to clear stress hormones efficiently can drop, leaving you feeling “stuck” in overdrive. Or like my client's often tell me "I can't turn off."

Supporting methylation through nutrient-dense foods (folate, B12, magnesium) and lifestyle practices that calm the nervous system helps restore balance to both body and mind.

3. BDNF: Your Brain’s Resilience Molecule

BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) supports brain plasticity, mood regulation, and cognitive flexibility. Certain genetic variations can make BDNF production lower, meaning your brain may have a harder time bouncing back from stress.

Movement, sleep, and mindfulness practices naturally boost BDNF, but for some, too much intensity (physical or emotional) can deplete it. Finding the right type of movement, strength work, walking, yoga, or even breathwork, helps keep BDNF levels steady without tipping the scale toward stress overload.

Listening to Your Body: Regulation Looks Different for Everyone

The truth is, we’re all wired differently. For some, the best way to regulate the nervous system is to move: a run, a lift, a walk outside. For others, it’s to slow down: to breathe, stretch, or nap.

Your genetic blueprint can help you identify where you fall on that spectrum. The “Warrior” may thrive on movement to discharge stress, while the “Worrier” may need stillness and restorative practices to find balance. Both paths are valid, what matters is that you’re tuning in instead of tuning out.

The Takeaway: Balance Is the New Hustle

Stress isn’t the enemy, it’s information. It tells us when to expand and when to recover. When we learn our unique genetic tendencies and start listening to our body’s cues, we can use stress strategically rather than letting it run the show.

Your genes don’t dictate your limits, they tell you how to progress. The real power lies in knowing when to activate and when to rest.