Dear Aimee, thank you for your wise, kind article.

I'm the friend Bingz mentioned and so a fellow HSP interested in decluttering and I love your asking what the clutter represents to the person.

For you it seems it represented judgements of who you are so no wonder changing your inner narrative to a kinder one unblocked your ability to take decluttering action.

I appreciate and admire your insights and how they unblocked you and are clearly inspiring others here.

Criticism creates barriers, compassion dissolves them.

You might enjoy Miki Kashtan's related insight that there is a more compassionate (and so an even more liberating alternative) to "boundaries": honest acknowledgement of limits.

Happy to share a link to Miki's article if wanted. :-)