- Damar Hamlin had a near-death experience when he went into cardiac arrest during a January NFL game.
- The Buffalo Bills safety made a miraculous recovery and has since returned to the field.
Nearly nine months since he collapsed in the middle of an NFL game and received nine terrifying minutes of CPR on the field, Damar Hamlin is learning not to dwell on the past or place too much focus on the future.
The Buffalo Bills safety knows that today is all we've got.
"One thing life has taught me is you got to take it one day at a time," Hamlin told Insider. "As long as you win that day each day, then whatever the future holds for you, it'll be bright. It'll be where you're supposed to be."
After millions watched first responders resuscitate him on national television and subsequently took great interest in his recovery, Hamlin saw his celebrity grow like never before. So as he worked to return to full strength and rejoin his team, he also directed attention to new and growing opportunities off the field.
In addition to his blossoming philanthropic efforts and nascent business dealings, the 25-year-old is now the executive producer of his forthcoming documentary, "Did We Win." Even though "it's stressful at times because it's such a sensitive and emotional topic," Hamlin said he's "loving" the experience of telling his own story and, more broadly, diving into new opportunities beyond football.
"I'm an athlete in the morning and then I come home and I'm a businessman for the rest of the day," he told Insider. "It is kind of therapeutic for me. It allows me to escape away from the game in a way."
"I like to have my hand in a lot of things, so this is a new lane that I'm taking," he added. "And who knows where my career will take me after football."
Dividing up his time in such a way is just one of the many forms of self-care Hamlin has come to embrace. He gives himself an hour each day for "downtime" that includes "kicking my sandals off, putting my toes to the ceiling for a few seconds, and just collecting my thoughts on my day."
Hamlin hops in the sauna and meditates when he can. And he loves a good nap, his agent told Insider and Hamlin later confirmed after arriving a few minutes late for our interview.
Hamlin later confirmed that "honestly, anytime I rest my head on my couch, it pulls me deep into a nap." His recent partnership with Lovesac — a furniture company known for its cushy couches and massive "Sac" beanbags — has enabled him to unwind "even if I'm having a hard time getting some rest."
"That means everything; peace is the key to life, if you ask me," Hamlin said. "We work so hard — everyone, honestly works so hard — just to make a living and be able to provide for a family. The least that everyone deserves is to come home and be able to rest peacefully, and Lovesac is truly the essence of that."
Of course, his own family has played a crucial role in keeping him grounded and present through all of the changes of the past year. Hamlin starts each morning with a call back home to his parents and tries to "squeeze family time in periodically throughout the day."
He and his dad chat "all day long" about the ins and outs of his charitable organization, The Chasing M's Foundation. He takes time in the evenings to catch up with his mom about her workday and with his 8-year-old brother, Damir, to discuss school and football.
As far as his own football goes, Hamlin is still waiting to make his regular-season debut. He's listed on the Bills' depth chart as the second backup for Pro Bowler Micah Hyde, who missed most of the 2022 season with a neck injury.
Though Hamlin played well in Buffalo's preseason games — racking up nine solo tackles and an assist through three contests — he has yet to suit up for the Bills through the first two weeks of the 2023 season. But he's not overthinking it.
"I'm taking things one day at a time," Hamlin said. "I'm just enjoying the moment."