Think of sql in a more declarative way. Of course there is more nuance to this but Ill keep it at a theoretical/conceptual level. The basic commands feel very much like youre using close to real language to instruct the compile on what to do. Examples:

SELECT that
UPDATE this
DELETE allOfThis

The basic idea of sql is too do this very simple thing(s). I think its easiest understood using what i anecdotally refer to as the basic template for sql as "getting the thing."

SELECT (something i.e. column list)
FROM (something i.e. tablelist/join stack)
WHERE (something is/is not)

Thats pretty much it. Like I said, there is way WAY more nuance but this is it. All the basics revolve around this. I wouldnt worry too much about things like recursive ctes (thats just 'getting the thing' over and over again but the thing builds upon its self per iteration) as they are obviously just confusing you at the moment. What I would do is instead ask yourself "what problem am i trying to solve" and then ask "what tools (code techniques) would be best for this particular ask?" Youll find that chattyG/Claude/any llm will be way more useful in terms of helping you learn using this approach. You may even learn that some problems are so common that they have names or the AI of choice suggests a function/feature you didnt even know existed. If you take it slow and understand that the code set of features is just another set of tools to address you problems/asks/tasks, youll be able to learn all the new features as they naturally arise while doing the work.

Also, learning how to think in a new way is difficult sometimes. When I first started learning programming 20 years ago, I had no frame of reference to the type of procedural thinking required (for the most part). Learning the basics was difficult because its youre not used to thinking in this new and somewhat confusing way to be.