Supporting Mental Wellness with Chronic Illness
A quiet, members-only space where we meet in restful ways to sustain your mental health and hard-won self-management strategies between appointments, after therapy, or whenever managing alone feels too heavy.
Built for fatigue, pain, flare-up days and brain fog with chronic pain, ME/CFS, Long Covid, fibromyalgia, hypermobility syndromes and EDS, Marfan syndrome, PoTS, ADHD, AuDHD and more in mind.
Created by solution-focused hypno/psychotherapist Kim Clayden, who lives with hEDS, PoTS, Fibro and ME herself, so you never have to explain your condition, apologise for a flare or feel guilty for resting.
Free to try · No payment details needed
Who Maintained Mind is for
A low-demand space created specifically for complex health.
Your health and circumstances
- Living with a chronic or complex conditionHypermobility syndromes, EDS, PoTS, fibromyalgia, chronic pain, ME/CFS, Long Covid, or neurodivergence such as ADHD and AuDHD.
- Managing persistent pain, fatigue or flaresUnpredictable symptoms make traditional routines difficult. You need tools that help calm the nervous system and soothe pain flares without demanding high energy.
- Between appointments or after therapyWaiting months for specialist clinics, pain clinics or physio, or finished therapy and want ongoing support so your progress doesn't slip.
What you're looking for
- Zero performance pressureCameras optional, lying down or nodding off counts, and no icebreakers or pressure to speak.
- Real tools to protect your mental healthNervous-system calming tools designed to lift low mood and steady your mind when symptoms spike.
- No toxic positivity or pushing throughRun by Kim, who lives with hEDS, PoTS and chronic pain, so you never have to justify resting or apologise for a flare.
Good to know: Maintained Mind is a mental wellness and maintenance community, not crisis care or one-to-one psychotherapy. If you need urgent help, call NHS 111 (option 2) or Samaritans on 116 123.
Start with a free live relaxation
- Cameras optional. Join from bed, the sofa or the floor.
- No pressure to speak. No icebreakers, no sharing.
- Lying down or nodding off counts. Resting is the whole point.
- No guilt if you miss one. There's never anything to catch up on.
- Around 30 minutes, guided by Kim. Free with a free account, no payment details needed.
- Step 1Settle inJoin with camera off and mic muted. Get comfy.
- Step 2Listen and restKim guides a calm relaxation. Nothing is asked of you.
- Step 3Quiet finishLeave when it ends. No goodbyes needed.
How the sessions work when you’re fatigued or in pain
A gentle structure to help you maintain your baseline, stay on track, and lift each other up.
Not standard meditation. We don't ask you to sit still in silence or "clear your mind". Sessions use solution-focused relaxation and gentle calming paced for nervous systems managing pain, fatigue and sensory overwhelm.
A gentle holding space between appointments
Long waits between pain clinics, specialist reviews, physio blocks or therapy can feel isolating. Maintained Mind sits alongside your care, not instead of it.
- Between appointments. Steady support while you wait for the next review.
- Low demand. No assessments, no homework, no need to explain your symptoms.
- Alongside your care. Not a replacement for your clinical team or therapy.
Restful Body-Doubling (Weekly*)
A short, 30-minute weekly session to come together for parallel rest. Bring your crafts, practise your physio, do a gentle relaxation exercise, or simply take a guilt-free nap alongside others.
Solution-Focused Check-Ins (Fortnightly*)
A deeper group session where we share what's been going well, learn some quick psychoneuroeducation to keep your brain happy, and finish with a guided relaxation.
Practical tools for pain & low days
Access our audio toolkit and resource library anytime. From gentle pain-soothing relaxations and bedtime audios to flare-recovery guides, you have tools ready when you need them most.
Maintained Mind is the maintenance pillar, supporting you alongside your medical care and therapy.
Learn more about the services →* Live sessions run regularly through the year, and all times are shown in UK time (GMT/BST). If you miss one, nothing is lost — the resource library and audio toolkit are always there, and there's never any catching up to do. Occasional gaps happen around annual leave, bank holidays and short-notice sickness.
Hi, I'm Kim Clayden.
SOLUTION-FOCUSED PSYCHOTHERAPIST & CLINICAL HYPNOTHERAPIST · HPD, DSFH, MNCH, CNHC (REG), AFSFH
I'm a solution focused psychotherapist & clinical hypnotherapist who has spent years helping people with chronic illness, pain and hypermobility syndromes retrain their brains and build sustainable mental health toolkits. I created Maintained Mind to bridge the gap between finishing therapy and maintaining those strategies alone, through community, neuroscience, and self-compassion.
- Lived experienceI live with hEDS and PoTS myself. You never have to explain a flare or apologise for resting.
- Clinical experienceYears of private practice with chronic illness and pain clients, plus webinars and resources for charities.
- No "pushing through"Gentle pacing and calming, never forced positivity or productivity pressure.
“Having known Kim for about 6 yrs I've experienced the difference her sessions made to my way of thinking and doing. Like anything to do with the mind there are times when we need refreshers and boosts. Maintained Mind is that boost. Its sessions and resources help us connect to others and reconnect to learned skills and continue to improve our life skills and mental health. It's such a beautifully created package to help the mind, created from the heart! Thank you Kim”
“I have stayed in touch with Kim since being an active client in 2021-2. Back then I started as a slight sceptic but am totally sold on her techniques and have recommended her to others by word of mouth over the years. Despite all the self-management strategies I have learned from Kim and others, there are still tough times and, unfortunately, it is when you are at your lowest that you find it hardest to implement all the good stuff. I had no hesitation in subscribing to Maintained Mind and am trying out the different features. It will collect together all the useful stuff, so when I need it, it will all be on hand.”
Autumn and winter shifts
Colder, darker days can make symptoms and sleep harder. Three gentle reads for the season.
The October Slide
Why fatigue, pain and brain fog often worsen as the seasons turn, plus a gentle autumn plan.
Read guide
Seasonal Affective Disorder and Chronic Illness
When darker months lower mood and energy on top of a long-term condition, and gentle ways to cope.
Read guide
Managing Sleep With Chronic Illness in Winter
How shorter, colder days unsettle sleep, and gentle ways to rest better without rigid rules.
Read guide
I have a long-term condition and I want help to stay positive & mentally well
Three free, low-energy reads. No membership needed.
Free account vs Membership
Free account: a free live relaxation taster and the public guides. Membership: regular restful sessions, check-ins with Kim and the full resource library, all year round.
Free visitor
Read and learn
- Read every guide, free
- Free live guided relaxations — just create a login
- Learn the techniques in your own time
- Browse how sessions work before joining
- No fortnightly member sessions, community or member resources
Member
Everything above, plus
- Weekly quiet co-working (restful body-doubling)
- Live check-ins with Kim (gentle, solution-focused support)
- The Quiet Corner (a wordless, zero-pressure shared pause)
- Guided Audio & Relaxation Toolkit (calming practices whenever you need a moment of ease)
- Low-Capacity Resource Library (printable tools, videos, and workshop/live event replays to explore at your own pace)
Membership
Annual maintenance
Ongoing mental health support for living with a long-term condition. A full year costs less than a single one-to-one therapy session.
- Weekly restful body-doubling and fortnightly solution-focused check-ins*
- The Quiet Corner and the Recharge Room
- Full access to the resource library, audio toolkit & guides
- Pay instantly today, then auto-renews yearly by Direct Debit
- Cancel anytime from your account
Miss a week and nothing is lost — the resource library and audio toolkit are always there, and there's never anything to catch up on.
Not ready? Try a free live relaxation first →
Payments are handled securely by GoCardless. UK members unlock instantly; international members unlock once the first Direct Debit clears. Full details appear at checkout.