Mental problems arise from the dualities of life and, more important, from lust and anger. It is difficult to confront mental problems as long as we remain identified with our mind. Braving mental problems calls for a certain amount of detachment and learning to witness how the mind works. But this detachment is possible only by training and disciplining the mind.
Thanks to our samskaras, our mind has been conditioned to respond to situations in a certain predetermined way. We need to reprogramme the mind with wholesome thoughts, and engage in noble actions. That will augment our good samskaras. Practice of japa, prayer, meditation and the like is aimed at awakening our discriminative faculty called buddhi, which can be called our higher mind. It is only when buddhi awakens at least partially that we are able to see our thoughts and actions in perspective and stop acting impulsively or passionately.
The mind always tends to follow the sense organs and their objects, either at the gross or at the subtle (mental) level. Forbearance at the mental level involves training the mind to turn upon itself and trying repeatedly to anchor it in the Self whenever it strays.