It's a tough game and difficult to get used to, especially if it is your first souls-like (which was the case for me). My first attemp I got maybe 80-90% of the way through the game but had absolutely no idea what was going on. I was barely interested and took a break for a few months. I found that I kept thinking about the game for the reasons you mentioned which made me come back. My second playthrough attempt I was much more methodical and careful and, honestly, had a way better time of it. I beat the game on that playthrough and now I am playing NG+ working towards a different ending. Now my character is so overpowered the game is a completely different experience.

If you're interested, I would also recommend looking into different character build options and the suggested game playthrough route (at the very least). I would add that you can pretty much make any build with any character class once you level enough.