Honestly, it sounds like you are trying to figure this out on your own when you would benefit more from going to marriage counseling together instead. A trained person can listen to both of you and pull out the real problems you need to see and work on instead of your just creating space and thinking your wife will figure this out on her own. Space doesn't always result in solving a problem. What helps instead is talking to a professional that can help both of you identify the problem and see if it's something you can finally work on where you get your relationship back on a healthy track.

The truth is that as you both get older you will come across uncertainties about the future. It's normal to get busy and find a way to make a living and in doing so get distracted because you are learning and growing while getting involved with this part of your life. Being joined at the hip can change because as we engage, we grow and we change. We change how we see life, the world and life itself as we get older. These changes change a relationship, it's just normal to growth as we experience life more. To separate as you have with your wife is not going to help her figure things out. She really needs someone "knowing" to talk to so she can find her way forward personally as well as together with you.