I have been laid off. In the end it was positive for me.

I left a job where I facilitated meetings to discuss major incidents and tracked action items and wrote long form reports. I decided to use this opportunity to instead move to a job I really loved where being laid off sounded far less likely.

I became a software developer. Finally took charge to do something professionally that I'd done for a couple decades as a hobbyist. Huge positive. Completely the right move. Never would have happened if I hadn't been laid off.

That said, I recognize it's not a positive for everyone in that position.

It sounds like you just needed the right motivation to improve your quality of life. I think that is called "tough love" and it doesn't always work for everyone. But I'm glad to hear that you turned what is usually a negative into such a positive!