Your Guide to Flow, Edge, and Resilience
Ever wonder why some days you feel unstoppable and in the zone, like you can take on the world, while other days even the small things feel overwhelming, and you can't seem to manage the simplest tasks? Or why stress can hit you out of nowhere, leaving you drained or reactive?
The Integrated Arousal State Model explains it all. It connects our three core emotional regulation systems — Drive, Threat, and Soothe — to seven states of being, helping us understand our energy, focus, and emotional patterns.
The Three Systems That Shape Our Day
Our bodies have three regulatory systems that help keep us connected, motivated, and safe. They work as a team to help us meet our needs.
Drive: Fuels motivation, goal-setting, and achievement.
Threat: Alerts us to danger, triggering the fight, flight, or freeze response.
Soothe: Brings calm, safety, and recovery, helping us to recharge.
These systems are constantly interacting, and their balance determines how we feel, think, and act at any given moment.
The Seven States of Being
These three systems create seven distinct states of being, each with its own unique function, thought patterns, and emotional characteristics.
Shutdown: Where we become disconnected, numb, unable to engage.
Soothe: Where we are calm, reflective, restorative.
Flow: The sweet spot where we are focused, creative, and fully engaged.
Drive: Where we focus high energy toward goals, but are not fully connected to the world around us.
Edge: Where we are pushing limits of stress we can handle, we are still functional, but tense.
Threat: Where anxiety and defensiveness take over.
Panic: When extreme overwhelm takes over, and we lose control.
Flow is where we function at our best, driven and motivated, but still connected. Edge is our warning sign; something’s gotta give. Soothe is our opportunity to come home to ourselves. Our three regulatory systems help us navigate these states to manage the ups and downs of our day, but sometimes we find ourselves in the wrong state at the wrong time. Luckily for us, we can change our state.
Bridge Zones: Where Awareness Changes Everything
These seven states aren’t separate boxes; they overlap, forming bridge zones where awareness matters most. These are the places we can move from one state to the next:
Recovery Zone (Shutdown ↔ Soothe): Gently coming back online.
Calm Activation (Soothe ↔ Flow): Transitioning from rest to engagement.
Engaged Activation (Flow ↔ Drive): Rising energy, purposeful action.
High Engagement (Drive ↔ Edge): Peak performance, tension rising.
Stress Tolerance Buffer (Edge ↔ Threat): Early warning signs — regulate now.
Overwhelm Threshold (Threat ↔ Panic): Last chance to prevent collapse.
Recognizing these zones and when we’ve changed states can help us stay functional and resilient, even under pressure.
Why This Matters
Knowing our state helps us:
Stay longer in Flow or Soothe to boost productivity and well-being.
Spot early signs of Edge, Threat, or Shutdown before they escalate.
Recover more quickly from stress and maintain our resilience.
Apply self-regulation in work, relationships, and performance.
How to Use the Model
Notice your internal cues — your body, mind, and emotions.
Identify your current state — Flow, Edge, Threat, or otherwise.
Adjust intentionally — rest, regulate, or shift energy.
Pay attention to bridge zones — that’s where self-mastery grows.
Key Takeaway
The Integrated Arousal State Model is your map to understanding internal states and energy patterns. Awareness of your Flow, Edge, and the bridge zones between states gives you the power to turn stress into performance and pressure into resilience.
Refrences
Chikwehwa, E. (n.d.). The Integrated Arousal State Model: Linking Drive, Threat, and Soothe to States of Being. Retrieved from osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/gbxyu_v1