Journal disposal

I’m new here & hope you can help me. I usually journal when I’m at my lowest, when I’m feeling most sad & anxious. I write it down & it helps me to process my feelings & helps me put things in perspective. I feel better after leaving it all on the page. It’s a kind of therapy for me.

I don’t want anyone to see these journals. Ever. A stranger reading them would have to conclude that I’m a dark, miserable person, which I’m not. Heaven forbid my kids ever read them.

My question is, how long do I hold onto them before I put them through the shredder? Is there any value to keeping them for a while & reading through them one day, or would doing so just bring me back to the bad place I was in?

Have any of you had experience with this?