It always seems a lot harder when you can't relate what you are doing in the class room to your previous experiences. What might seem mind bending and impossible to grasp during training will quickly fit in to place once you start using it for real.
Best way to look at it is like learning to drive, the first time you get in the car and start driving there seems a lot to take in but once you get the hang of it you will wonder what all the fuss was about.