Frustrated at NL10

[Karrotstiks]

Well to most of you this post may seem fairly pathetic hah but here goes i guess...

Almost 3 months ago now I made an initial deposit of $50 into FTP with the intent of maybe trying my hand at poker... i knew the basics (tight preflop play, etc.) and understood the importance of bankroll management. I guess what i didn't understand however was that initial deposit wasn't much to get me started. Somehow i more or less managed to luckboxe my way into about a $100 BR. Since then i began to take poker a little more seriously and started trying to learn as much as possible. I began reading NLH Theory and Practice (Miller and Sklansky) and realized that there was a lot more to poker than i had previously thought. However, when i hit the tables and tried to apply the concepts i had read about, i found that i was starting to lose several buy ins and figured that those concepts were better applied in stakes significantly larger than NL10 (looking back the problem was probably due to poor evaluations of certain situations on my part). My BR had suffered and i was back down to my initial deposit amount. Playing a mix of Sng's and cash games i reeeeeaaallly slowly built my BR again but along the way i experienced A LOT of concerning swings. After about two months i had about $120 and started my 2 or 3 week long breakeven stretch. This was also when i found 2p2(about 1 month ago). Since then i have swung down to about 80 but through a 4th place finish in FTP's nightly $1 tourney was up to an all time high of $155. This was a week ago and i have already managed to donk my winnings off and am currently sitting at $100 again. Right now i'm feeling stuck, confused, and am lacking any kind of self confidence. Hearing about all the 2p2ers that beat all of the higher stakes games makes me wonder why it is so hard for me to beat the lowest limits that FT offers. So i guess the point of this long winded post is to ask a couple key questions that have been floating around my mind for a while now:

- Should i be playing cash even though i have to buy in half stacked in order to practice good BR management?

- Is it essential that i purchase tools like Poker Tracker or PaHUD at this point?

- In an attempt to become more positionally aware i have been raising a MUCH wider range of hands from the btn and CO position when folded to me(any two suited, Qx, Kx, Ax, connectors, one gap connectors down to 6-4, usually a little narrower from CO). Is this range too wide? Should i not be trying to make so many steals at these low of limits? After one C-bet post flop should i be shutting down?

- Is it profitable at 10NL to occasionally be playing draws aggressively? Are most players at 10NL not actively thinking enough for this to be +ev?

- What is the best way to build confidence during such a significant downswing?

- Should i just be playing straight ABC at this point and only altering my play style when i move up?

- What is the best advice to someone who wants to be a winning player in the micro limits?

Im sorry this is so long but i just can't seem to figure out what is wrong. I have tried adjusting my game in a number of ways but each time i seem to lose more. I know that me being a losing player at NL10 is assuredly not due to variance alone. If anyone could give me any basic tips that helped them beat the micros or share with me common problems players at the micros have it would be greatly appreciated. Again im sorry for the length but any help would be soooo helpful at this point. Not being able to beat the easiest game available has proabably been one of the most frustrating things ive ever experienced hah. Thanks again.