I first received my guitar when I was 12 years old. At the time, I had no idea how to play it, but that year in music class I was going to learn. So, I first learned basic chords and easy tabs (sheet music designed for guitarists) in my middle school music class. I would then take what I learned in class home with me and practice on my own guitar at home.
After taking the class, I started to practice and learn more on my own. I bought a beginner guitarists book, teaching me different chords (like barre chords where one finger covers all strings on a single fret) and others. I also learned certain songs from YouTube videos, which was very beneficial.
After a while, I began to read sheet music using an app on my phone called Ultimate Guitar. Here, I could either play songs with chords, or tabs. Meaning that I could either play songs that I could strum, or songs that I could "fingerpick". Sure, it took me a while to figure out how to strum my guitar in certain patterns or learn basic fingerpicking patterns, but after lots of practice, I did it.
I first learned how to play songs like Wonderwall by Oasis or Wake Me Up by Avicii, which are basic strum patterns. But, I later learned how to play more complex songs, like Bloom by The Paper Kites, and Cherry Wine by Hozier. These are more complex fingerpicking songs that sound very pretty.
Overall, I probably spent 2 hours a day while I was in high school learning how to play the guitar since it was very relaxing for me and helped me destress. I definitely recommend learning how to play the guitar, or any instrument, despite the time and effort put into it, because in the end, it is well worth it.