Career change after a layoff, where to begin? - any advice?

My layoff made me rethink whether to stay in my field. I have read a lot of threads here and could not find my exact situation. My family is supportive but nervous. Did you take a pay cut?

I took a small pay cut for a year, and it was worth it for the growth afterwards.

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 5 months ago, and it settled down once I kept a simple log of every call and form.