I still think just memorize the steps. You probably won’t do well on all of the word problems, but you’ll do ok on the straight math and get a passing grade.
When you solve for x or a or whatever, always plug the answer back in and check your work. If the number you solved to doesn’t work, then you know there is a mistake. If it’s multiple choice and you don’t have to show your work, you can plug in the choices. Usually, you have to show your work in Algebra.
I’m not telling you a way to cheat the system. Part of math is knowing when an answer doesn’t look right.
I’ll give you an example. My husband is a VP in a company and has to work up numbers for reporting the federal government. Two years ago he made a mistake and two sets of eyes looked at it (supposedly) and no one caught it until one of the other senior people called him and said the number didn’t make sense. My husband looked back and without even redoing the math, he knew the number was way off. My point is, having a feel for the numbers helps guide you.
If you were good at math until algebra then that’s helpful. If you had said you always had trouble, then I’d say maybe you have dyscalculia or some sort of fear that is blocking you. Or, simply math just isn’t your forte. It sounds more like algebra just trips you up. We all have subjects like that. Most of us anyway.
Simple algebra is very useful in real life so stick with it.
Watching the various videos seems like a great idea. Different teaching styles my speak to you better than others. Math is practice practice practice. Do lots of problems in the workbooks.