Why You Need a Metaphor for Your Life
According to research, one of the reasons for Forrest Gump’s emotional resilience was his metaphor for life: “My mama always said life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get!”
This finding was reinforced by a fascinating experiment involving 50 participants who spent five minutes each day writing about their negative emotions. One group of participants was encouraged to use literal descriptions, like “I felt anxious or confused,” while the other group used metaphorical descriptors ,such as “I felt like a leaf in the wind.”
During the experiment, only the metaphorical describing group reported a drop in depression symptoms and negative emotional ratings.
How often do you think and talk about your life using metaphors?
The Power of Metaphors
Many psychologists and therapists have affirmed the value of using metaphors to:
- Find patterns that aren’t working
- Motivate you in a positive direction
- Help you cope with life’s obstacles
- Improve mental health by seeing the big picture
- Communicate to others about your thoughts
Metaphors do this by providing figurative meaning and comparison that help make sense of abstract and complicated concepts.
For example, over the past six months, I’ve been thinking about my life like I’m a real estate developer. I have five specific “buildings” that are being “constructed,” and I’m the superintendent overseeing the construction while getting blueprints and plans from the architect.
Every morning I picture the five buildings in my mind. I name them. And I reflect on what the focus of the construction needs to be that particular day. It has literally calmed me down, given me perspective, and even changed how I allocate my resources during the day. I’m better able to see the story of my life right now, which helps me make better choices.
Examples of Life Metaphors
Not sure what your metaphor is right now? Consider that life may be for you a:
- Blank canvas
- Race
- Garden
- Puzzle
- Gift
- Mountain to climb
- Journey
- Masterpiece
- Rollercoaster
- Battle
- Mission
- Classroom
Metaphors Change Over Time
Depending on your season of life, your goals, and your circumstances, your metaphor can and should change. For instance, you may be facing hardship right now, so a metaphor about struggle may be most appropriate. Maybe you’re moving into a time of rest and recovery, so your metaphor could be about enjoyment or healing. The key is to determine what image and storyline best explains where you are, where you want to go, and how you will get there.
As your current reality, desired future, and opportunities for growth evolve through life, so does the picture. While you’re developing the story of your entire life, each metaphor might represent a scene or chapter.
Consider asking others to help you discern and articulate your metaphor. That’s what I did. My current metaphor came to me on a long walk last spring with a friend.
It requires a bit of work and possibly some help. But it’s worth the effort to not just be literal about your life, but to be figurative too.
What’s your metaphor?
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