Emotional Regulation System (Love, Fear, Doing)

This work is inspired by psychologist Paul Gilbert’s three circles model of emotion, developed within Compassion-Focused Therapy — a system that integrates cognitive behavioural tools with an emphasis on empathy and balance. The model describes three emotional regulation systems: threat, drive, and soothe, which together shape our sense of safety, motivation, and calm.

In this drawing, I reflect on these emotional states both theoretically and personally. I write about fear, the core emotion of the threat system; love, central to soothing and connection; and doing, the energy of drive and purpose. Each circle is rendered in a colour associated with its emotional tone, red for fear, green for love, and orange for doing, creating a visual map of the delicate equilibrium between our inner worlds.