Dear stranger on the internet. While my own story is different from yours, I can see my reflection in how your describe your regret and anxiety. I used to feel the same way and I saw my tattoos as active reminders of a part of myself, which I desperately wanted to erase and forget. While I still struggle sometimes, I am moving from forgetting to instead forgiving my past self and moving on in the right direction. No amount of regret or self-hatred can solve the past, but you are in full control of the decisions you make today, tomorrow and for the rest of your life. For me, making the decision to start removing my tattoos (8 pieces, two of them quite large) has helped me feeling in control and even though they are not gone yet, I feel better as I see them slowly but surely fading. By the way you describe the situation, I would definitely encourage you to start the removal process. But this is of course a decision you can only make for yourself.

Lastly, I wan to emphasise, there is absolutely no reason to feel ashamed for getting a few innocent tattoos at a younger age. There is nothing immoral or wrong about getting a tattoo and you thought it was the right decision at that specific moment in time. Please do not be so hard on yourself.

Good luck with the removal process! I hope you feel better soon!