Here's a secret that nobody tells you when you're getting started prepping. Feeling overwhelmed is totally normal for new preppers.

If that's where you're at right now, you need to know that you are not alone in how you feel. Many people, especially when they first begin to focus on their preparedness, feel as if they are emotionally drowning. After all, it's a lot to take in, and it's completely normal to feel like you're in over your head, especially if they start out reading horror stories about events like EMPs, tsunamis, and the Cascadian Fault.

When people begin the transition from a non-prepper mindset to a prepper mindset, they can be overcome by the feeling that danger is around every corner. The problem is that before opening their eyes to preparedness, people often have normalcy bias. Either that or they've just never thought about the dangers of the world. Then, once their eyes are open and they begin to prepare, they become aware of all the potential tragedies waiting for them.

It's at this point that the overwhelm often sets in. 

Go Slow When Getting Started Prepping

Fortunately, the odds of most of the tragic events ever happening is minimal. Therefore, the urgency to become prepared may not be quite as urgent as it initially seems. One way to overcome the feeling of urgency is to take a measured and logical approach to your preparedness. This article contains 5 steps to help guide and reassure you that you're on the right track and probably doing better than you realize. 

While we're on that point, it's important to know that more often than not, people are more prepared than they know. Heck, many times, people who are new to prepping are not as new to it as they think. In reality, they have a subconscious that has caused them to prepare without them knowing they are doing it. That is why, when they move to the first tip in the five tips for beginning preppers, inventorying and organizing their supplies and resources, they are often surprised about how far ahead of the preparedness game they are. 

Regardless of where you are in that equation, though, it's good to understand that you are on the right track by just taking that initial leap forward and making the conscious decision to prepare. Heck, you are probably more than on the right track. The fact is that by just admitting you need to prepare, you are light years ahead of most other people who never accept they should take the time to improve their readiness. 

1) Inventory and Organize Your Supplies and Resources

A great way to establish a solid prepping foundation is to inventory and organize what you already have. This foundation will help you overcome one of the most significant prepping challenges: a shortage of time. The majority of preparedness frustration centers around a lack of time and money. Therefore, it's essential to establish an accurate inventory so that later, as you work on your preparedness, you know what you have and where. This will go a long way to helping you be more efficient with your time. 

Knowing what you have on hand can also save you money. Far too often, preppers make the mistake of purchasing, acquiring, etc., gear, supplies, and other items they already have. By completing a thorough inventory, preppers will find that they save more money than those who don't act purposefully when preparing. 

2) Perform a Personal Risk Assessment

Perhaps the best way to determine what you need to prepare for is by conducting an individual risk assessment. Realistically establishing what your most significant threats are, provides you with the opportunity to manage those first. Those who are just getting started prepping should focus their initial efforts on the most likely things.

When you prioritize your risks, you are setting yourself up for success should an event occur. Those who fail to prioritize may find themselves addressing problems that do...