Lost job: How do I tell my PDLs?

I was forced to take out three (3) small loans last month due to an extenuating, once-in-a-lifetime circumstance. It was a life or death situation, but unfortunately the 'life' part came with plenty of debt. Just after I took out these loans, those same circumstances caused my company to put me on a leave of absence. I am now paycheck-less, and the due date of two of those loans are today. Here is my information:

State: IL
Check 'n Go $500 - $106.40 paid (Storefront)
PayDay One $750 - $161.12 paid (Internet)
First Payday Loans $450 (Storefront)

Both Check 'n Go and First Payday Loans used postdated checks to secure the loans. PayDay One, being an internet lender, has ACH access to the account. Because I didn't want a bad situation to turn to worse, when I read the stories about PDLs charging accounts when being informed of a lost job, I froze my bank account of three years and opened a new one. I intend to revoke ACH permission from all three lenders until I can get work.

My question is, have I taken the right steps? Can I get into legal trouble in my state because of the checks? Is it likely the lenders will listen when I tell them I need to find work before I can make any payments? Where should I go from here? (For example, how do I keep these companies from harassing my friends and relatives, such as my landlord who lives next door?)

Thank you in advance for any help.