Questions about chess in the beginning!

So I have been playing chess online recently and losing. Allot. Basically because I dont know what to do in the beginning of the game. Once some pieces are out I can think ahead, but in the beginning I have no clue what to do. I pretty much just try and protect the middle of the board (not well). I know there are openings I should learn and things but its challenging to follow them under the circumstances often. So what should my thought process be in the beginning? What are my goals? And what are some good openings for beginners?

#1
"So I have been playing chess online recently and losing. Allot. Basically because I dont know what to do in the beginning of the game."
++ You lose because of tactical errors, not because of lack of knowledge.
Think more and check your intended move is no blunder before you play it.

"Once some pieces are out I can think ahead, but in the beginning I have no clue what to do."
++ Well, bring your pieces out and play for the center.

"I pretty much just try and protect the middle of the board (not well)."
++ Yes, the center is important, but pawn moves are not developing moves.

"I know there are openings I should learn" ++ No, you should not learn any openings.

"So what should my thought process be in the beginning?"
++ Lasker formulated 4 common sense principles:
1) Only play your d- and e-pawns.
2) Play your knights before you play your bishops.
3) Do not play the same piece twice.
4) Do not pin the KN with your QB before your opponent has castled O-O.

"What are my goals?"
++ Bringing out pieces and control the center.
Generally pieces come out in reverse order of value: first 2 pawns, then 2 knights, then 2 bishops, then castle O-O to bring your king to safety and connect your rooks to put them on open files, last but not least find an active and safe square for the queen.

"what are some good openings for beginners?"
++ As black defend 1 e4 e5 and 1 d4 d5 and as white open 1 e4.

At the beginner level (up to around 800) you see a lot of early Queen attacks and it often only takes one mistake to get checkmated instantly.

If you are playing blitz then there isn't a lot of time to figure these things out and it is much easier if you have memorized the patterns. This video teaches those:

Beyond that just follow the general principles that @tygxc already listed.

After you play a game review it to see if you made any mistakes in the opening, see what the best move is and try to figure out why it is much better than the move you had played.

The main thing that helps players up to about 1500 level to improve is by practicing tactics.

For me I started learning openings when I was about 700 level. It is of some help, for example at the start of the game I can play quicker and with more confidence, but per time unit I would probably be a slightly stronger player now if I had focused more on tactics and endgames.

I got this,...

This might be a good place to start.

The basic goals of the opening are:

1. Control the center. That is, tend to make moves that place your pieces on the four center squares of the board and/or that attack the four center squares of the board.

2. Activate your pieces. For example, move the knights and bishops off the back rank, think about putting your rook(s) and a file that you don't have a pawn on, and find something for your queen to menace. If you moved a piece once, don't move it again unless you will immediately win or lose material. If you find yourself with no idea of what to do next, think about the piece that's helping your position the least and find something useful for it to do.

3. King safety. Get your king castled.

Obviously, there are always exceptions to these guidelines, but using them as a framework for thinking may help.

For openings, try the King's Gambit as white. It teaches you a lot about how to play actively.