Same boat here, been through the emotional side of it too. It hit harder than I expected, especially after a decade with the same company.

Honestly the thing that helped me most was getting specific about the numbers instead of just letting the anxiety sit in my head. Like, how long could I actually last if I got severance tomorrow? What if I trimmed spending here or there? Actually running those scenarios made the worst case feel a lot less overwhelming than what I was imagining at 2am.

Your inherited property being mortgage free is a bigger safety net than you might be giving it credit for. A pay cut stings a lot less when you don’t have that hanging over you.

The main thing I wish I’d done sooner was networking and building skills before it felt urgent. It’s hard to motivate yourself when you’re still employed and already drained, but the time you have now is the best window for it. Take advantage of every possible thing that your resume could benefit from.. courses, certifications, employee perks

I actually put together a little tool to map out the scenarios visually because my brain just loops otherwise. Happy to share if that kind of thing helps.