🪞 Don’t Hold It In

Posted by Damien J. Branch

Author of The Mirror Has Thorns™

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“This isn’t a bashing book. It’s an outlet.”

I said that in a reel earlier this week, and I meant it.

This book — The Mirror Has Thorns™ — didn’t come from anger.

It came from pressure.

It came from silence, from walking around for years carrying things I never got to say. And when that pressure built up too much, I had to find a way to let it out before it tore me apart.

That’s when I remembered something.

Back in the day, I used to write. Poetry, raps, lines in a notebook — that was my way of releasing. It was like therapy before I even knew what therapy was. And somewhere along the line, I stopped.

During one of my therapy sessions, my counselor asked me:

“What’s something you used to do that helped you stay grounded?”

And the first thing that came out of my mouth was: “I used to write.”

She looked at me and said, “So why’d you stop?”

That hit me.

I didn’t even have a real answer — just life. Just survival mode. Just too much bottled up.

So, I started writing again. And what came out wasn’t just journaling — it became this book. A mirror, covered in thorns.

Not to hurt anybody… but to finally heal myself.

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🧠 Men Need Outlets Too

I’m not here to bash anybody.

I’m here to be the voice I didn’t have when I was breaking down in silence.

We don’t talk enough about how men process pain. We’re told to be strong, to move on, to hold it in. But that kind of pressure turns emotional wounds into lifelong damage.

Whether you box, lift, game, write, or meditate — just find your outlet.

Find your release valve.

Because if you don’t? The pressure finds a target. And sometimes, that target is you.

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📖 Why I Wrote This Book

I wrote The Mirror Has Thorns™ to help men let go of what we were never allowed to say.

And I wrote it to help women see the silent side of a relationship they may never have noticed.

It’s not about blame.

It’s about balance.

This book is for anyone who’s ever loved hard, lost themselves, and found their way back to the truth.

Don’t hold it in.

Let it out.

Let it grow.

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📘 The Mirror Has Thorns™ is available now.

Paperback: $19.99 | Kindle: $9.99

Shop here (https://www.branchbrand.com/mirror)