Jeremy Renner recently commemorated the three-year anniversary of his near-fatal snow plow accident by sharing a post on his Instagram Stories. The 54-year-old actor posted a photo of the snow plow that nearly took his life with a lighthearted caption, “Not today,” along with a winking and kiss emoji, adding, “Rain delay.”
Following the playful post, Renner shared another Instagram Story featuring a photo of a child on a snowy path, captioned, “Happy New Year. A New day, And new pathways filled with Love and adventure.”
On New Year’s Day in 2023, Renner was rushed to the hospital after being seriously injured in an accident where he was crushed by a PistenBully, a snow-removal vehicle weighing over 14,000 pounds. He was trying to save his young nephew, Alex Fries, from being struck in the horrific incident near his Nevada home. Renner sustained more than 38 broken bones, including six broken ribs in 14 places, a broken tibia, and a collapsed lung.
In his memoir, “My Next Breath,” released in April 2025, Renner detailed the moment he thought he was going to die on the ice. “As I lay on the ice, my heart rate slowed, and right there, on that New Year’s Day, unknown to my daughter, my sisters, my friends, my father, my mother, I just got tired,” he wrote. “After about 30 minutes on the ice, of breathing manually for so long, an effort akin to doing 10 or 20 push-ups per minute for half an hour … that’s when I died.”
During an appearance on “The Jimmy Fallon Show” in April 2025, Renner confessed his initial reluctance to write about the accident in his book. “I went through a year, and I was doing pretty good. I was walking again. Then the idea of writing the book came around, and I was like, ‘Oh, God, I got to relive this thing?’ It was quite the struggle,” he shared.
Despite his reservations, Renner found healing in recounting the harrowing experience and acknowledged that it wasn’t just his story but also his nephew’s, who witnessed the accident, and his mother, who received the distressing phone call and rushed to his side.
In various media interviews, including one with Men’s Health in July 2024, Renner vividly described the terrifying moment of being crushed by the snow plow. “I remember every undulation,” he recalled. “I remember my head cracking on the thing and it just pressing on me — it’s exactly like you think it would feel. An immovable object and a crushing force, and something’s gotta give. But thank God my skull didn’t fully give.”
Renner’s resilience and courage in facing the aftermath of the accident serve as a testament to his strength and determination in overcoming adversity. The Benefits of Meditation for Mental Health
Meditation has long been touted as a powerful tool for improving mental health, and for good reason. Research has shown that regular meditation practice can have a range of positive effects on mental well-being, from reducing stress and anxiety to improving focus and concentration. In this article, we will explore some of the key benefits of meditation for mental health.
One of the most well-documented benefits of meditation is its ability to reduce stress and anxiety. When we meditate, we are able to quiet the mind and focus on the present moment, which can help to alleviate feelings of overwhelm and worry. Studies have shown that regular meditation practice can lower levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, and increase levels of feel-good neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine.
In addition to reducing stress, meditation can also help to improve mood and increase feelings of happiness and well-being. By cultivating a sense of inner peace and calm through meditation, we can learn to better manage our emotions and respond to challenging situations with greater resilience. This can lead to a greater sense of overall happiness and contentment in life.
Another benefit of meditation is its ability to improve focus and concentration. When we meditate, we practice the skill of sustained attention, which can carry over into other areas of our lives. By training our minds to focus on the present moment, we can become better able to concentrate on tasks and avoid distractions. This can be especially helpful for those who struggle with attention deficit disorders or other cognitive challenges.
Meditation has also been shown to have a positive impact on memory and cognitive function. Research has found that regular meditation practice can increase grey matter density in areas of the brain associated with memory, learning, and emotional regulation. This can lead to improvements in cognitive function, memory retention, and overall brain health.
In addition to these cognitive benefits, meditation can also help to improve sleep and reduce symptoms of insomnia. By calming the mind and body before bed, meditation can help to promote relaxation and reduce racing thoughts that can interfere with sleep. This can lead to better sleep quality and overall improved well-being.
Overall, the benefits of meditation for mental health are vast and well-supported by research. By incorporating a regular meditation practice into your daily routine, you can experience reduced stress and anxiety, improved mood and well-being, increased focus and concentration, enhanced memory and cognitive function, and better sleep. So why not give meditation a try and see the positive impact it can have on your mental health?
