Using metaphors to shine a light on wellbeing education

Despite the increased attention on wellbeing over the decades, scholars and the general public continue to question how wellbeing is best understood and defined. One valuable tool to assist people in conceptualising wellbeing is the use of metaphor. Often adopted to describe complex phenomena in a simple and relatable way, metaphors have been used as a powerful learning tool in fields such as medicine, psychology, and business to aid understanding of a range of topics, including the human body, therapy, family dynamics and workplace conflict. The power of metaphors to convey vivid imagery, encourage intuitive interpretation, and illuminate deep understanding stands them in good stead to be used in wellbeing education. This chapter makes a case for the broad, intentional, and strategic use of metaphors in wellbeing education to promote wellbeing literacy, increase student voice, and help design whole-school wellbeing approaches that ultimately boost teachers’ and students’ wellbeing.