What Nadine Burke Harris has said about Stress buffering
5 quotes · 1 episode · Apr 27, 2026
Nadine Burke Harris, American pediatrician, ACEs researcher and former Surgeon General of California, has been quoted on Stress buffering 5 times in 1 episode of The Mel Robbins Podcast, most recently on April 27, 2026. Each quote below is verbatim and links to the moment it was said.
In their words
Burke Harris explains that hugging a frightened child releases oxytocin, which inhibits the biological stress response.
“First of all, the hug releases oxytocin. Oxytocin directly blocks the activation of the biological stress response”
The Mel Robbins Podcast: Nervous System Reset: Do THIS Every Day to Rewire Your Brain From Stress and Anxiety (Apr 27, 2026) · Listen from 21:13
Burke Harris argues that the younger a person is when adversity occurs, the more buffering is needed to restore balance.
“the younger you are when you experience a stressor or trauma or adversity, you need way more buffering on the other side to be able to balance that out”
The Mel Robbins Podcast: Nervous System Reset: Do THIS Every Day to Rewire Your Brain From Stress and Anxiety (Apr 27, 2026) · Listen from 26:51
Burke Harris lists seven evidence-based interventions from her Surgeon General's report for regulating the stress response.
“these include sleep, exercise, nutrition, mindfulness, mental health, and healthy relationships, and time in nature”
The Mel Robbins Podcast: Nervous System Reset: Do THIS Every Day to Rewire Your Brain From Stress and Anxiety (Apr 27, 2026) · Listen from 49:17
Burke Harris says that even a single safe, supportive relationship can be enough buffering.
“And sometimes it's one person and one person is enough, right? That's the good news. One person is enough”
The Mel Robbins Podcast: Nervous System Reset: Do THIS Every Day to Rewire Your Brain From Stress and Anxiety (Apr 27, 2026) · Listen from 49:17
Burke Harris urges people to build support systems before crises, calling infrastructure love in action.
“I believe infrastructure is love in action. What we build, the systems that we build in our personal lives for ourselves”
The Mel Robbins Podcast: Nervous System Reset: Do THIS Every Day to Rewire Your Brain From Stress and Anxiety (Apr 27, 2026) · Listen from 1:10:26
Episodes
Nervous System Reset: Do THIS Every Day to Rewire Your Brain From Stress and AnxietyThe Mel Robbins Podcast · Apr 27, 2026 · 1 h 15 min
Mel Robbins talks with pediatrician Dr. Nadine Burke Harris about adverse childhood experiences, overactive stress responses, and buffering practices that help regulate the nervous system.
Nadine Burke Harris on other topics
- Adverse Childhood Experiences Study · 3 quotes
- Toxic stress · 2 quotes
- Fight-or-flight response · 1 quote
- Shame · 1 quote
- Procrastination · 1 quote
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing · 1 quote
- Epigenetics · 1 quote
- Adverse childhood experiences · 1 quote