This….there are no shortcuts in flying. Sure you can just light up the sim and have fun. But if you want to really learn and understand “why” you do what you do in aviation, you need to study it. “Feel” and emotion are there but they have absolutely nothing to do with the basics of what you need to know to safely pilot an airplane. Plus, you can’t “feel” anything in a sim.
It’s one of the reasons translating from a sim to the real airplane is so different. ALL of your senses are engaged in ways you’ll never experience in a desktop simulator. But real-world procedures can be studied and practiced for free all day long. Spend time doing that and it will help immensely.