First time getting laid off. Feeling completely blank.

I'm feeling completely blank right now.

Last Thursday, HR scheduled a call with my manager and me. They told me the company is restructuring the team and planning to remove the entire team. Then my manager said they could give me some time to think and that I have two options: either I resign myself or they terminate my employment.

The reason they gave was, "If we terminate you, it won't look good for your career, so we're giving you this chance."

The thing is, there are four people on my team. Somehow, the manager decided to keep the people he's close to and let go of me and one other teammate. That part hurts the most.

I don't have a backup plan. I've never been in this situation before. This is my first time experiencing a layoff. My previous two companies were stable, so I honestly didn't know how emotionally draining this could be.

The company itself is a startup, so I won't mention the name. You never know who might be reading this.

What really got to me was HR saying, "We can give you the numbers of some consultants you can talk to. They'll help you. Also, you should study AI." I know they were probably trying to be helpful, but it felt so tone-deaf in that moment.

Now I'm just sitting here wondering what to do next. The job market already feels so difficult, and suddenly being in this position is overwhelming.

For those who've been laid off before, how did you deal with it? How long did it take you to find another job? And how did you stop yourself from constantly worrying?

I'm the eldest in my family.. my salary will go to my family first.. I genuinely don't know, what's going to happen, how I'm gonna manage.

I could really use some advice right now.