I assume they meant not "playing my games against other humans with the help of an analysis engine like Stockfish" but "playing games against an analysis engine like Stockfish". Which is not in any sense cheating.

Yes, thank you, I assumed it was obvious: I meant playing against a computer while keeping stockfish running, figuring out my next move, and then seeing what stockfish recommends, then trying to follow that line to see if it makes sense. Like asking for help from professor, except you have to figure out the answer, which doesn't always help.