S3&K giving me all sorts of trouble

Just a bit of a rant, also looking for advice I guess? I have beaten Sonic 2. I have beaten Contra: Hard Corps (the shitfuck American version). I have no issues with the vast majority of platformers that I pick up. But in Sonic 3 and Knuckles specifically (a game I am playing for the first time), I game over multiple times every stage.

Everything I see online suggests that not only is this game easy, it is specifically easier than Sonic 1 and 2. And yet I feel like I am constantly bombarded with bullshit from just off the screen, squished by moving stage elements, and killed by bosses with really frustrating precise jumps (currently on Red Eye and uggggghhhh). It’s just so tedious compared to 2.

This game puts me on edge which I think makes me even worse at it. But I have no idea why it’s so frustrating in the first place. I don’t feel like I’m rushing, I’m playing as Sonic by himself, and again, this is not my first rodeo with Sonic games or platformers. I have played and beaten much harder ones and had less trouble. Did I hit my head or has anyone else experienced this?