Mental health is something talked about a lot today. In general, mental health refers to our emotional, social, and psychological well-being. Just as physical health refers to the overall well-being of our body—from fitness to body composition to the absence of chronic illness or disease—mental health is when our minds are in good shape. Our minds encompass emotions, feelings, and cognition. When we’re healthy mentally, our thoughts and feelings are balanced and regular. Typically, being healthy mentally means we are able to cope with stress easily and productively and manage our emotions effectively, so we control them instead of our emotions controlling us.The Bible prioritizes mental health. As Proverbs 4:23 proclaims, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (NIV). The Hebrew word used here for “heart”, leb, translates to the inner self, the seat of thought and emotion.Mental health problems occur when we are not healthy mentally, whether that’s from diagnosed mental illness (such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, etc.) or from going through a short-term period of mental imbalance. Diagnosed, long-term, ongoing mental illness is sometimes a chemical disorder best treated by seeking the advice and guidance of a trained mental health doctor, counselor, or pastor—just as serious physical illness, such as cancer or diabetes— is best treated through the care of a physician. Mental illness might be caused by other things, such as genetics or trauma (such as war or abuse).But sometimes, mental health problems are caused by the things we are doing on a regular basis that derail us from balanced, synchronized thoughts and feelings. These habits unsettle and overturn our efforts to achieve peace and serenity emotionally and mentally, and sometimes we don’t even realize we’re causing this to happen.Here are five sneaky habits that cause serious mental health problems:Photo Credit: ©Pexels/Juan Pablo Serrano Arenas