I've been journaling for something like 25 years now. The hardest yet most rewarding part for me is going back and reading my entries. Sometimes I have to force myself because I'm often revolted by what I've written during various periods however it has really helped me understand my moods.
The few times I've felt motivated to write down my thoughts were during periods of high personal stress and once they were on paper I put the notebook on a shelf. It sat for a while, and one day when I thought about it I tore up the pages and threw them away. They weren't anything I needed anymore, and I certainly didn't want anyone else to come across them.
