Repentance is dynamic. Tending to our mental health and well-being may be an important resource to the process of self-examination (cheshbon hanefesh) and repentance.
The gradual preparation of easing into grief leading up to Tisha b'Av could be seen as reflecting an approach to working with grief that cares for our mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being, and promotes resilience.
When we count, we count! How the Jewish practice of counting the Omer, when applied through a lens of well-being, can be a seasonal resilience-promoting habit.