Woman give up social media for A YEAR says she felt 'at peace'

Darla Bunting once had 4,500 followers on Twitter and Instagram, as well as hundreds of friends on Facebook and Snapchat. But on January 1 last year she announced that she would throw them all away - in a blog post, of course

The 31-year-old's decision to quit all social media in what she termed a 'digital detox' certainly seems to have worked. 'I had different epiphanies over the course of this year,' she told ABC News. 'I feel so at peace.'

Bunting was originally advised to quit social media for a month by her pastor, but decided to go the whole hog and drop it for an entire year

That had wonderful effects, she says, including feeling more connected to the world, because she's no longer 'curating' her life by snapping every event

'When I began to cut out different things, I learned to have an attitude of gratitude,' she said. 'I became really grateful of every moment.'

It wasn't easy, though, thanks to the pervasive nature of social media, and the constant urge to check out what's happening.

So Bunting had to take her detox cold turkey.

'So I blocked the websites on my computer and deleted the apps off of my phone,' she said. 'So there was not a way for me to check. That made it incredibly easier for me.'

She didn't lose any Facebook friends, she said - unlike many who were drawn to either side of last year's Presidential election.

'But what I did gain was learning how to quiet my own thoughts and my own opinions and listen to other people whose opinions are different than mine,' she added.

And while it was a wrench missing out on a year of her goddaughter's life in photographs, Bunting - who plans to return to social media - says keeping everything in perspective makes it easier.

'Realize that social media isn’t going anywhere,' she explained, 'so you're not going to miss anything once you take a break from it and come back.' 

Woman give up social media for A YEAR says she felt 'at peace'