Staying motivated among lay-offs?

Great question, and I definitely empathize here. First, I recommend going through this other discussion about the aftermath of layoffs and maintaining a good mentality within this turbulent climate.

Do you not check the news and ignore it?

Pretty much this! In particular, avoid Blind. It's extremely toxic and is overwhelmingly negative. While Blind can help with keeping you more informed, the mood loss and anxiety from using it just isn't worth it. Worst case, the anxiety hurts your career performance overall, making you more likely to get laid off or less likely to land a new job after getting laid off. Layoffs simply are a part of professional life and this will never change - It's best to just accept them, not think about them too much, and continue doing your best.

You will naturally be able to "read the room" when it comes to layoffs from workplace conversation: Interacting with your teammates, talking to your manager, and paying attention to internal company communications. There's no need to augment that with external news.

Any good mindsets and strategies to adopt?

Find community and help others. When the going gets rough like it is now, the human mind quickly becomes its own worse enemy, creating negative thoughts and constant worry. When you find others to talk to and share your experiences and feelings with, it brings positive energy into your mental space and "distracts" your brain from generating more worry.

As for the second part, humans are a social species, so we naturally enjoy helping others. Some of the most powerful relationships are forged when you bring up others when they're at a low point, especially when you're at a low point yourself.

In your scenario, something tactical you can do is look for others to mock interview with.

Related resources:

• "With layoffs all around, it seems a bit overwhelming. What should one do?"
• "Insensitive to talk about applying to a company which has suffered from layoffs?"
• "How open should we be to recruiters about employment status?"