Our childhood diaries are sacred. We reveal clandestine crushes, scribble rage-filled rants, detail high hopes for an unknownfuture.

And some people are opting to share their past diary entries on TikTok, to the tune of more than 17 million views for the hashtag #readingmychildhooddiary alone.

Revisiting your childhood diary can be an innocent, invigorating experience – but remember to watch what you share and be kind to yourself in the process if you uncover or revisit previous traumas. Especially if you're revealing that information on social media.

"Before reading, adopt a frame of mind of care and compassion for you when you were going through what you did as a child," says Miranda Nadeau, a licensed psychologist. "Consider the needs you had or what you longed for in your life. It may be the case that you didn't have the support you deserved or craved around whatever was going on for you at the time."

'It might be just for fun'

Peeking at an old diary will likely make you giggle and wish you could give your younger self some advice. "Reflecting on your early diaries can be a great opportunity to notice the progress you've made in your life and, yes, to laugh at the embarrassing or cringe-worthy moments," Nadeau says.

Everyone likes a little bit of nostalgia, even when it might make you want to scream and wonder why you thought or acted a certain way as a kid.

"If they are revealing moments that make the person they are now cringe with embarrassment at who they used to be, laugh at themselves, and overall have an approach of light-heartedness, it might be just for fun," says Maryanne Fisher, a psychology professor at St. Mary's University in Canada. "Others might share in these moments because they went through them too, sharing in the embarrassment, and thus, feeling entertained. Or, younger adults might view these posts and feel a sense of belonging, validating that how they are feeling is perhaps not the most mature, but something shared with others."

'Traumatic experiences can have lasting emotional impacts'

Beware reading your diary and rediscovering – or even remembering for the first time since something happened – a past trauma. It could bubble up and disrupt your life.

"The critical thing here is to reflect on the past events as a part of the 'story' of your life," Nadeau says. "In the present, the events are only important insofar as they are important as parts of your life story today – not necessarily because they were life-changing to you at the time."

Fisher adds: "Traumatic experiences can have lasting emotional impacts, some of which may not be fully realized until later in life – if at all. I'd be wary about sharing genuine traumatic experiences with an unknown audience; the way these experiences are perceived and commented on could lead to hurt feelings among other outcomes."

Before you read your diary aloud, consider what you're putting out there – and who could get hurt in the process. It's not just your life. It might involve someone else's.

Use pseudonyms "to avoid any repercussions from old friends," Fisher says. Not doing so could result in inadvertently humiliating others.

"Posting one's childhood experiences may seem fine in the moment, but later on, there might be a sense of regret about publicizing one's personal thoughts at a particular stage of life."

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'Practice compassion'

Be sure to, as always, give yourself grace when navigating new (or old) information about yourself that suddenly rears its head back into your life.

"Practice compassion for the you in the past and the present, and you can come out of this reflection with healing and a greater sense of contentment and respect for yourself in every stage of life," Nadeau says.

Also, consider why you want to air your dirty laundry to the public. Is it to gain more followers? For catharsis? For laughs?

Fisher says: "Most people would open an old diary they have written and read it when they felt ready – depending on the content they expect is inside – so the big question is why people feel compelled to share that content with an audience of people they do not know. If the intent is truly to have a little fun and mock oneself about being concerned about trivial things, that's great, but that might not always be the case."

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