I've occasionally looked around for a node-based image editor (á la Blender, but for 2D), and I've only found simple proofs-of-concept.
When discussing Photoshop alternatives, I often find the lack of smart layers and other non-destructive editing to be a painful gap; this is a bit of a paradigm shift towards the other extreme.
Lots of people suggesting consuming news / social media in a reserved and more healthy way. I agree, but I also suggest a step further; get involved in local community. You'll feel a much greater sense of agency and can have a measurably positive impact on people's lives when you're not so focused on the global stage.
I have stub notes for people I've met, and link to them in the journal section of my daily note when I've met them; I can then check the backlinks on that person's note when I want to check where I've seen them before.
Tangentially related, have you heard of Bombe? It's a hexagonal minesweeper where you write rules to solve every possible scenario. It even checks your rules' satisfiability via SMT.
I'm in a similar situation; I think QuickShell [1] could be a compelling option, particularly premade configs for it like DankMaterialShell [2] (which is intended for Niri).