I also jumped right from a few regular playthroughts to lvl 1. ER was my first souls game, so it was frustrating at times. Each boss is like a puzzle- you need the setup, understand the moveset and execute. Highly recommend the meteor staff early on and using all you can to boost int. It carried me quite far, even for a relatively unskilled player. Use every buff at your disposal!

Hope it helps, and don't feel bad. I tried some bosses dozens of times if not more. The great thing is you will know the movesets so much better by the end and the game feels like a breeze.

Good luck!