Metaphors

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CONTENT

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Metaphors About Emotions

About this tool 15

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What are metaphors?

Finding metaphors

Practice

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Exploring metaphors Talk about your
metaphors
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EMOTIONS WHEEL
About the Author
Resource

Metaphors

MMMEEETTTAAA
META

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PPPHHHOOORRRSSS
PHORS

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About this Tool

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It’s important to find opportunities Exploring your emotions and sharing
to talk about and explore your them with others is a really good
emotions. way to practice...

Talking about emotions with other SELF CARe
people can help you identify your
deepest needs and find ways to get This tool will show you how to use
those needs met. This tool will guide metaphors to talk about emotions.
you through the process of labelling This is a great tool to use if you are
and exploring your emotions so you a visual thinker, like to think about
can feel more comfortable with metaphors, or interested in
talking about the way you feel. exploring your emotions without
feeling overwhelmed by feelings!

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About Emotions

Emotions are strong feelings that involve a mixture of bodily sensations.
For example, the emotion

“sad” might feel heavy

in your chest, and come
with an urge to cry or hide.

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Emotions can also stir up strong imagery or symbolism.

“Sad” might make you think about the image of...

a broken heart

a wilted flower

A rain cloud
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Managing risk:

If it’s too challenging,
skip it!

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Sometimes talking about and exploring unpleasant How wI fielellIokvneorwwhwehlmened?
emotions can set off other unpleasant memories,
thoughts, feelings, and worries. Metaphors
It is important to plan ahead:

Are my immesdaifaet,ecsoumrfroorutnabdline?gs
mindsetDotoI hdaovtehetsheeaecnteirvgityieosrnroigwh?t

What can I do if Im overwhelmed?
Distract with something fun?
Soothe with something soft ?

whoifwIonueleddIewd manotretoheclapl?l

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If you need more support with
this stuff, you can always reach
LGBT YouthLine

a peer support helpline by and for
2SLGBTQ+ youth in Ontario.

CALl us: 1 800 268 9688
text us: 647 694 4275
Chat with us: www.youthline.ca

We are open:
Sunday Friday from
4PM 9:30PM E.S.T.

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WHAT ARE

METAPHORS?

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Metaphors are extremely
helpful for understanding
and exploring our emotions,
they gives us an opportunity
to look at our experiences
in a different way.

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A metaphor is a way of comparinG

two Things

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Using metaphors, we Exploring metaphors helps us
can talk about one thing take a break from our emotions so
by describing another we can explore our experiences
thing that may not without feelings getting in the
initially appear related. way. Metaphors may seem silly
at first, but it can actually lead to
some pretty amazing insights.

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FINDING

METAPHORS

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Sometimes metaphors come “ugh my life is on fire”
to mind without trying to make
it happen, like when you’re In this example:
selecting which string of emojis
to send, or when you blurt fire might represent something
something ridiculous out:
inflamed, heated,burned,
destroyed, painful, or intense.

EX PEC tation

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Sometimes, you may have to Once you’ve identified how
go searching for metaphors you feel, try to think about
that capture how you feel. images or symbols that
If you’re not sure where to represent this feeling.
start, think about a situation There’s no right or wrong
and how that situation makes way to do this! Whatever
you feel (you can use the comes to mind is alright.
Emotion Wheel, page 40).

Feel free to get creative or silly!

Rea lity

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If you’re having trouble Type a few keywords into
thinking of images or <idioms.thefreedictionary.com>
symbols, do an online image to find a phrase that
search of the emotion resonates with you!
word that you’re feeling!

Practice

“Weather”

Metaphors are commonly used to describe emotions:

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“If your emotion was the weather,
what weather would it be?”

Rainbow sunny cloudy

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EXPLORING

METAPHORS

Metaphors

Exploring emotions or This section will guide you
situations with metaphors may through some ideas on...
give you a fresh idea or new
perspective that may help you how to explore
understand your emotion or metaphors!
situation in a different way.
REMEMBER: There are no right
It is important to note that
metaphors do not necessarily or wrong ways of doing this.
represent the truth. More often The following questions are only
than not, metaphors are random, guidelines to get you started.
artistic, and weirdly illogical. Once you feel comfortable
with these ideas, you can
improvise or play with them.

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MIND MAPPING

One of the easiest ways to break
down your metaphor is to create
a mind map. A mind map is a way
of capturing your ideas without
having to write full sentences.
To build a mind map, start with a
central idea or focus, and then build
on the idea by adding lines and
boxes to connect your thoughts.

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Managing risk:

This can feel very difficult
because it may invite some
questions that challenge your
original understanding of

the emotion or situation.

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You might get stuck as you build out your mind map.

Here are some prompts to help keep

you moving through the exercise:

Focus on one part of the metaphor
at a time. Think about all the
different things it might represent.

Do not try to be completely
logical or rational -
allow your imagination
to flow freely.

“why”Ask a series of and
“how” questions. For example:
How is this possible? Or
Why does that happen?

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Think about opposites.

What is the opposite of the metaphor
or part of the metaphor?

Do some more research
about the metaphor or
parts of the metaphor.

Look up images or short articles online
using keywords from your metaphor.

Ask someone else for
their input.You can talk strictly

about the metaphor without revealing
the true emotion or situation you’re
talking about if you’re not comfortable
being fully transparent, yet.

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Check out these mind maps for
some common metaphors.

a place to land ILLUSION OF WILD Singing/Chirping
FREEDOM

spacious sky within range

FLY ANYWHERE PLAYING WITH NOT IN a CAGE
OTHER BIRDS

FREE AS A BIRD

Think of Opposite

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people want to help hard to explain

hard to breathe lonely

scared guess what's
wrong
too much/annoying

wet or dirty hungry

cute Lots of UNMET CAN'T
tears NEEDS SPEAK

CRY BABY

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Try to make your own mind map!
*TEMPLATE here*

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?

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TALK ABOUT YOUR

METAPHORS

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A very important part of exploring
your metaphors involves
getting input from someone
you trust. When you feel ready
to talk about your metaphor for
your emotion, it is important
to pick the right person.

This is someone who...

Listens to Asks Shows
your ideas permission comfort with
without much before they talking about
interruption.
add their emotions
own ideas. without
trying to fix
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If you are the one listening to someone
else explore their metaphors for emotion,

here are some tips to consider:

1 You might hear someone use a
metaphor without noticing it. If
you catch someone’s metaphor, Accept the person’s metaphor as
you can point it out to them by is. Do not judge it or try to edit,
saying it back to them. “Oh, I correct or change someone’s
noticed how you described that metaphor. Try to use the exact
same words that they used.
2image…a tornado of anger.”

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3 Ask if you can ask! Ask them
for permission to inquire about
the metaphor. For example,
“Can I ask you about the tornado?”

4 Ask them to tell you more about the
metaphor. You could say, “Where
Keep using the person’s own did you come up with the idea?
words to talk about their ideas. What do you think it means?t”
“It sounds like that tornado is
5 coming at you and you’re not
sure what to do about it.”

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6 Ask them if you can add ideas to
their metaphor, but try to allow
them to make interpretations
on their own. If you have an
awesome interpretation that
you’d like to share, ask again
for consent. Remember: we all
take different things out of the
same images, so the person may
not always agree with you.

It is okay if you cannot figure it out! Often
our emotions just want to be explored,

rather than solved or fixed. After
exploring your emotions through metaphor,

you might notice that the emotion feels
different than when you first started.

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resource:

THE EMOTION
WHEEL

This wheel contains emotion words,
or words that describe feelings.
The words at the center of the circle
are core emotions, and the words
in the outer rings are more specific
feelings. There is no right or wrong
way to use this chart. You can start
by scanning the words to find the
ones that resonate with you. Check
in with yourself multiple times a day:

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Adapted from Dr. Gloria Wilcox, 1982
Designed by Mosaiceye

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ABOUT

THE AUTHOR

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I'm Ronnie I love talking about relationships:
the choices we make, the contexts
I’ve been a psychotherapist in we live in, and the connections we
queer and trans communities cherish. Creating and nurturing
for 8 years. Part of what makes healthy relationships involves
2SLGBTQ+ communities so learning about yourself, exploring
strong and vibrant is the care and your emotions, and communicating
support we offer to each other about your needs to others.
when we have difficult emotions.
I encourage you to try the activities
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friend! If you’re interested in learning
more about my work, check out @

leavesonastream or
leavesonastream.ca

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

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Writer: Ronnie Ali
Illustrator: Alejandra Higuera
Graphic Designer: Magda Arturo
Produced by: LGBT YouthLine

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