If everything seems fine, I highly doubt you did any damage to your transmission.
Loren's advice in post #6 is really good! A 5-speed manual transmission is set up to help everyone shift properly. It's done by spring loading the shift lever when in neutral. Finding the middle gears (3rd & 4th) are the hardest, but the shift lever also lines up with those two gears on its own (provided you have found neutral). If you make somewhat slow deliberate shifts, you will find the correct gear more easily. You don't really have to manhandle it to shift smoothly.
When you shift out of 5th gear, the shift lever will naturally line up (spring action does this for you) with 3rd or 4th gear. What gear you slip into next will depend on the speed, turn, or whatever maneuver you are trying to do. If I am climbing a steep hill, I will most likely downshift to 4th & later 3rd if needed. There are times when making a turn, I may go from 5th to 3rd gear. If it's sharper more deliberate turn, I may find myself going from 4th to 2nd. It all depends on the speed you can safely make the turn, & in my area the slope of the road can be a factor.
Overtime, it just becomes natural. You don't even think about it. Once you are rolling along shifts don't have to happen that fast. You have Newton's 1st Law of Motion working in your favor at that point. You can make nice slow deliberate shifts, & your Mirage will appreciate it!
1st & 2nd gear require a little pull towards you.
3rd & 4th gear let the spring loaded shift lever line you up.
5th gear requires a deliberate push away from you while shifting up.
You may have all this mastered already without realizing it.
The Mirage does have HSA (hill start assist), & I feel it works quite well. It prevents you from rolling back from start on a hill. Without it, a person may use the hand brake to hold the car while letting out the clutch & manipulating the gas pedal. That is why most manual cars with have hand parking/emergency brakes. You can release the hand brake as you let out the clutch. More experience drivers can do this without using the hand brake, but it can be helpful for new manual drivers. HSA sort of does that for you.