Kweku Smith, PhD, is a former Milwaukee Bucks team psychologist and is now experiencing his first Olympics and Paralympics as a Team USA mental health care provider. While he and his colleagues are on call 24/7 throughout the Games for crises big and small, Smith encourages his patient athletes to check in for well visits when their mental health is in a good place. He recommends the general public take charge of their mental well-being the same way.
“I tell people, seek out services before you need it. That way, you have a person who can get a baseline on what’s average for you,” Smith says. “If they see things slowly deteriorating, they can pull a mirror to you to say, hey, let’s try these things. Or, unfortunately, if a trauma or tragedy happens, you have a professional as a part of your team who can be there.”
Smith adds, “Look at mental health just as you do your physical health—as we get a yearly physical, as we go to the eye doctor, as we go to the dentist on a regular basis. We don’t go every day. Sometimes you go on an as-needed basis until something happens, and then maybe you do a few more.”
Read more about Smith, his contributions to Team USA, and discover more tips to take care of your mental health at https://fortune.com/well/article/mental-health-wellness-paris-2024-olympics/