They are a way of creating a comparison that while not literally true, provides a figurative meaning.
How Metaphors About Life Begin
As children, we begin to understand and organize the world.
We then spend the rest of our lives putting material in these files.
Philip and Karen Smith / Taxi / Getty Images
For example, some people see life as a battle.
Every encounter is a struggle, and if they don’t win, they feel like they have lost.
Others view life as an adventure.
If you arefacing a challenge, a metaphor might help you see the big picture and give you strength.
For example, someone going through cancer treatment may look at the journey as climbing a mountain.
Metaphors can also provide a picture that helps others put in your world.
It might be the stimulus you better make changes.
Common Metaphor Examples for Life
Metaphors for life are not always obvious.
We may have to stand back a long way to see patterns.
Metaphors can be positive or negative.
These are just examples and not every metaphor will resonate with every individual.
Take a moment to think of other metaphor examples that may describe your life or serve you better.
Relationships, like flowers, need regular watering.
Sometimes they need to be pruned.
Sometimes you gotta weed the garden (oreliminate toxic friends).
They also create beauty as they flower and bloom.
In a battle, you are always either winning or losing.
Relationships, especially, are not always a competition.
Sometimes it is better tobe more loving toward othersthan to be right or win.
Mission
Viewing your life as a mission can be either positive or negative.
You may feel that you have talents and gifts you wish to share.
Just as with missions throughout history, your life can be a platform to bring goodness to the world.
Like with any journey, there are times when the roads are straight and times when they are winding.
Adventure
An adventure can also be a beautiful metaphor for life.
Roller Coaster
This metaphor example can describe life or it can describe the speed bumps we encounter.
For example,people with a chronic diseaseknow the roller coaster effect of a challenging diagnosis.
Using the metaphor of a roller coaster also illustrates what many people who have had hardships understand so well.
You don’t fully experience the high points of your journey without the contrast of the lows.
Mountain Climb
Climbing a mountain is a great metaphor for many parts of our lives.
It can describe our educational path or the steps we take in climbing the corporate ladder.
Life often consists of hierarchies.
This can improve your ability to cope and protect mental health during times of stress.
Race
A race can be both a positive and negative metaphor for life.
Courtroom
If you view life as a courtroom, life can be challenging.
In a courtroom, everything in life should be fair.
Real life, however, is not always fair.
Good people die young and criminals go free.
Stepping Stones
Stepping stones can be a metaphor for life in many ways.
An example of this jot down of metaphor is stepping stones crossing a stream in a garden.
This metaphor can be a reminder tokeep your mind activeand strive to continue to learn throughout your life.
Prison
A prison can be a metaphor for a life in whichyou feel out of control.
You may feel like you don’t have choices and that others have the power.
Learning to reframe a situationcan shift your perspective and change how you see a situation.
Doing this can help reduce worry, stress, and anxiety.
What metaphors fit your life?
Do they work for you or do they cause problems and limit your choices?
Think of your life metaphors today, but don’t stop there.
Periodically re-think your life metaphors.
Or are they negative metaphors that are limiting your life?
Good mental health includes having metaphors that help you see the big picture of your life.
Takeaways
Metaphors about life can be helpful ways of thinking through problems you might be facing.
At other times, negative metaphors might hold you back or contribute to feelings of hopelessness or helplessness.
Black Rupp N.The rise and fall of metaphor: A study in meaning and meaninglessness.Semiotica.
