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

I have read this forum every day since I lost my job. It has been weighing on me all week. I am still searching but I have a plan. What would help newcomers most?

Glad it helped. Reading how others handled it got me through my own bad weeks too.

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 7 months ago, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.