The Detox Period (Pema Chodron)

Pema Chödrön (Shambhala Publishers, Oct. 3, 2012) 

When we refrain from habitual thoughts and behavior, uncomfortable feelings will still be there. They do not magically disappear. Over the years, I’ve come to call resting with the discomfort “the detox period,” because when we don’t act on our habitual patterns, it’s like giving up an addiction. We’re left with feelings we were trying to escape. The practice [Buddhist meditation] is to make a wholehearted relationship with that. From Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change, (p. 36).