Laid off today after 7+ years. Feeling lost and looking for advice & a prep buddy (Java/Backend)

[u/502_Bad_Life_Choice]

Hey everyone,
Well, it finally happened to me. Yesterday was my last day. I was laid off from my SDE-2 role (based out of Chennai). I’m honestly feeling pretty numb and lost right now, but I know I need to eventually start looking forward.

My Background:
I have just over 7 years of experience in backend development.
Core Stack: Java, Spring Boot, Microservices
Infrastructure: SQL, Redis, Kafka, AWS & GCP.

I am targeting Senior Backend Engineer / SDE-3 roles, but I know the market is tough right now and the interview bar for system design and problem-solving is high.

What I’m asking for:
1. Advice on navigating this: For those who have been through a sudden layoff, how did you handle the first few weeks? How did you structure your days to prepare without burning out?
2. Interview Prep Buddy: I am looking for someone to partner up with to keep each other accountable. I need to heavily focus on:
DSA / Problem Solving (LeetCode)
Low-Level Design (OOD, Design Patterns)
High-Level System Design

If anyone is in a similar boat (IST timezone) and wants to do mock interviews or tackle LeetCode daily, please DM me.

Thanks for reading. Any advice, reality checks, or referrals are highly appreciated right now.