Then have a plan B.

Move in with your parents / siblings / someone?

you take a lower paying job?

So bad that you can't find a job for 12 months? At a certain point, you take any job you can get to sustain yourself while you look for a job in your field. You should be able to buy yourself plenty of time to focus full-time on searching for a new job and the chances you go 12 months is highly unlikely. Still, if that were to happen, take on another job you don't love while you continue your search.

That said, not finding a job in your field for 12 months is a situation we as people like to prepare for, but are likely to not happen.

If the economy looks super bad, dramatically cut spending to stretch out the last 6 months. At a certain point you can also negotiate with lenders or just not pay.