My girlfriend and I, who have been together for a year and a half, are taking things slower.

Hello everyone, I'm new to this subreddit! :) This past weekend, my girlfriend and I had our biggest fight in our relationship, which has lasted a year and seven months. Until now, we’ve rarely had any disagreements—what we previously experienced wouldn’t even be classified as fights. After a few days of limited communication, we finally had an intense conversation about what went wrong and how we can improve. I realized that I made some mistakes, and we discussed our issues openly. During our talk, she suggested the idea of being friends, which really hit me hard because I thought I might be getting dumped. We then acknowledged that we had become too reliant on each other—almost in an unhealthy way. We weren't functioning as our own individuals anymore, so we decided to press the "slow down" button. We're both going to take some time apart to focus on personal growth and independence. She mentioned that she still loves me and has feelings for me, but she needs to figure out if our relationship can work in the long run. I don’t want to get caught in a situation where I’m just being strung along, but I’m determined to not lose her. Is it common to try this for a month or two before deciding on the future, or does this seem like a step in the right direction? Has anyone else faced a similar situation? This is my first long-term relationship, and while I feel hopeful, I also have some anxiety about it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! :)