I recall a chat with a student who had complanied that her husband was drinking too much and too often. "He is useless, always drunk. I am not sure if it's worth trying to help him". After some discussions she realized that as long as she would keep holding in her mind an image of a 'uselsss and drunk spouse' his behavior will not change.
So, yes, indeed, the mind can be our worst warden. It also serves as a guard between us and the soul-self (I have written about it here: https://hive.blog/hive-181465/@nomad-magus/your-mind-the-final-frontier-r28p2r).
Thank you for the insightful comment dear @lauralauze and an early Merry Christams from the holy-land to you and all your loved ones. 🙏