Sorry I typed a lot, so I get if you don't want to read my whole post lol.
I recognize the irony of asking this on a super online forum, but with the introduction of Sora AI and the AI getting harder and harder to detect, I'm getting to the place where I'm personally think I need to start fortify my mind and start to unplug from big tech and the internet more.
I'm starting to build my own NAS to self host media that I curate. For me, my digital plan to ward off the brain rot is easy: RSS feeds, email newsletters, and self-hosting and getting off big social media platforms (YouTube is gonna be hard , ngl; I legit have a YT addiction...)
But for the IRL offline piece, I don't even know where to start. I spent the vast majority of my life by myself on computers (entering my mid-20s). Because I have neglected building social relationships, I'm so socially inept, lol. I'm starting from zero. Like, I know for older folks and more offline zoomers, this might sound dumb asking, but if you are more comfortable being by yourself alone on a screen, dealing with the real world and ppl unpredictability is hard knowing where to start.
I'm out of college, and grad school is too expensive, lol. It's crazy to think just 20 years ago ppl lives were completely different. And with the direction the internet is going, it just getting filled with bots, slop, and ragebait, I recognize I need to better use my time on earth, but it's hard when most of my life I've spent online in front of screens. Like, I'm kind of a bit agoraphobic,(not completely; I go to office when required, though), and WFH and all the internet conveniences make staying indoors so easy and attractive (amazon, walmart, streaming, porn). I was listening to my favorite podcast and they said "We need to make real life more enticing than the internet." And that really stuck with me.
Our brains have been hijacked by big tech to keep our eyeballs on their platforms for profit. and with the AI stuff, the level of fakeness I cannot personally tolerate, and I dunno if the combo of just me getting older and becoming dissatisfied with my life and all that is causing me to seek advice from strangers on the internet to help inform some changes lol.
For someone who spends a lot of time alone and on a computer this will seem anathema, but go find some sort of physical activity (sport) and start engaging in it a few times a week. Not only does this get you out of the house, it creates opportunities to engage with people socially and it is good for your health.
I am very much a stay at home, be in front of my computer type hermit. I was this way most of my life and even being married didn't help much as my wife is the same. A good Friday night for us currently involves playing Baldur's Gate 3 until much too late. We have a very small circle of friends and don't get out much at all. However, now in my late 40's I am having some health issues and that finally gave me the push to get out of my gaming chair and get my body moving. I took up climbing at an indoor rock climbing gym and I really enjoy it. The regularly changing routes on the walls mean that I get to engage the puzzle solving part of my brain, and I am pushed physically as I try to get better. In between climbs I'm near other people with an obvious shared interest and can practice talking to other people by discussing the routes (social skills are like all skills, they take practice). And the exercise has made my doctor visits a lot less "you're going to die horribly" and more "we've got things pretty well controlled". I also just feel better.
So ya, go out and find some sort of physical activity you enjoy. Don't be afraid to try new things, you'll suck at them but that's to be expected. The first step in being good at anything is sucking at it. Use that suckage to engage with other people and learn how to suck less. This will help you suck less at socializing. I won't say that any of this is easy, it's not. I know there is the hermit piece if me which always wants to fall back into just hiding out in my basement (literally, my office is in my basement). But, I've also made a habit of climbing 2-3 times a week and 3 years into doing that I am now looking forward to that time. I get excited when I walk into the gym and see one of the walls changed and now get to solve a new set of climbing routes. I still kinda suck, but not anywhere near as much as I did on my first day.
I'm going to look into fun physical activities to do! I do go rock climbing with my brothers but truthfully It's not my favorite thing to do. But I'm going to keep exploring things.