>> I don't think I could truly "disconnect" knowing that work is potentially piling up in the background and waiting for me when I get back.

Knowing you've got work waiting when you want it / need to make money is a blessing, not a curse. Having to worry about it piling up sucks. But basically it means both options are available to you: (1) take extended time off, or (2) get approval, because you're necessary enough that the work will still be waiting for you when you get back.

There's also (3) pick up jobs while you're traveling - teaching English, bartending, working for a nonprofit that will cover your housing, or something more creative. That's how most of the long-term travelers I know did it.

The only basic requirement is being sick enough of everything here to take the first step off the ledge. When I left my job and left America, I had $15k in the bank, way more than the OP, but it was still scary and I was giving up a $60k job to do it. Hands down the only good decision I ever made in my life, that gave me a real sense of who I was. I would never have gotten to that knowledge, no matter how much more I made staying in the US; I would have just become more of a slave to the dollar, less and less inclined to seek new experiences (like I'm afraid I'm becoming now).