Law School and Life's Ironies

I'm a first-year law student. I know it sounds odd, but sometimes when the stress gets to be too much, I find myself wanting to regress back into little-space, like I did before things got serious with Alex. We've been together for three years now. He’s forty and still very dominant - not mean or anything, just knows what he wants in a dynamic. When we’re out in public, it’s all mature and respectful, but behind closed doors? It's so different. I’ve started to feel like I’m slipping back into old habits, asking for timeouts when things get too intense, wanting him to make me apologize or do extra homework as punishment. The little-space thing wasn’t about age or anything illegal, just a way we both found to connect and deal with stress before the big commitments of our lives took over. But now it feels weird. I'm 18+, you know? Not really a kid anymore, but there are days when that mindset feels so comforting, almost like a security blanket. Alex knows this, and he’s supportive, as long as we both feel good about where the boundaries lie. But sometimes, when I’m alone, it gets to me. Is this just normal? Am I the only one who finds comfort in role-playing certain things out of habit or stress relief? Do others experience these kind of shifts too as they grow older? It’s hard not feeling like I'm the only one.