Reading an old journal is like finding a letter from a younger sibling who happens to be you.

Encountering your own past writing is a strange kind of meeting. The person on the page is sincerely struggling with something you have long since resolved, and your first instinct is usually to be embarrassed for them rather than kind. They were doing their best with the information they had.

Read a little of it with the same tone you would use for someone you care about. Notice what they were frightened of and whether it happened. That perspective is available to you now about your current worries too.