Been there, too

Sometimes I wish I could visit my former self, in my former life, just to give myself a hug and say "It's OK, "

You just did twice.
1) By advising those at that point in life, Its called empathy.
2) And let us not deny we are the sum of the baggage we have accumulated, and not the crap we have shed. By leaving the shit behind all you have left is the experience. "You then" informs "you now", and we thank you for that insight.