How should I level up?

I started Elden Ring a while ago, and just now got back to playing it again. I beat the first boss but I feel very lost at this point and don’t really know how to progress, every mini boss that I come across feels too strong for me to fight, I’ve unlocked the maps for limgrave, caelid, and lurnia.

I would also like to mention that this is my first souls game ever and I also don’t have too much time to put into it, but I really want to play it