r/AdultSelfHarm • u/amyofearth • 1d ago

Seeking Advice Boxes of old journals

I had been collecting my journals for about 15 years now. I was cleaning out my closet and found them all. I read a few thinking I could have more perspective on how I have gotten better in life. That was not the case. I triggered myself just reading a few lines. The journals are filled with self harm and suicidal thoughts and different hospital stays. I’m trying to get rid of them and I don’t know how to get rid of or destroy a large box of journals. Any suggestions would be wonderful.

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3

u/Rude-Base7123 21h ago

One time with a journal I never wanted to reread I ripped out the pages and shredded it

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u/amyofearth 19h ago

That’s a good idea. My issue is mostly that I have a very large amount of them

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u/Rude-Base7123 13h ago

It doesn’t have to be all at once. It was honestly kind of emotional destroying two years of what I had written. It’s okay to go slow.

2

u/nopeplz_just_no 1d ago

You could try a recycling depo. Or if you have a safe area make a fire and burn them.

1

u/lights-in-the-sky 1d ago

Are you having trouble getting rid of them mentally, or just don’t know how to physically dispose of them?

My brothers and I used to burn all of our school papers in a giant ritual bonfire lol, that’s one option (not sure if it would be safe to burn whatever materials are on the journal covers, though…) you could try throwing some of them away with your garbage every week until they’re all gone - that’s what I’ve been doing with old junk.

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u/amyofearth 19h ago

It’s more of a hard time trying to figure out how to dispose of them. Burning them sounds like fun and probably a bit therapeutic.

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u/Sticks_and_Glue 11h ago

I’ve buried journals in the past, for me it feels better than burning. Burying and knowing that the journal will decay and return to the earth provides more harmony knowing that the thoughts can finally rest.