Thank you to everyone who answered my questions - what worked for you?

I posted here 2 weeks ago when I was panicking about my layoff as a software tester. I would rather hear the honest version than the polite one. I am still searching but I have a plan. What would help newcomers most?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it last year, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.