Last time I was laid off was ~10 years ago and it was great. I worked out 2+ hours a day and got in the best emotional and physical shape of my life. I took well needed vacation time and visited some foreign counties. I also picked up some light volunteer/contract work at startups I cared about to keep my skills fresh.

I think that peoples experience will often depend on if they view it as an opportunity or curse and their level of financial stress/buffer.

I would recommend the following in no particular order:

1) Spend a fixed number of hours on the job search per day/week, and treat the rest of your time as you would a vacation.

2) Collect UI, its not much but helps.

3) Exercise & focus on healthy stress management.

4) Stay socially active in your industry.