Ann2011 wrote:
I do this a lot. I end up describing the thing I can't think of and often the other person will fill in the word. Also like you say, sometimes I hear a word and I can't attach it to its meaning. Takes me a while to work through it, and people aren't always patient.
This sounds familiar. And I find that people being impatient simply puts you under pressure and makes it even more difficult to retrieve the word you want.
If I'm with family or friends I'll use words like thingy, wotsit, oojamaflip to fill in the gap. Or I'll describe what I'm trying to say, so someone can find the word for me. My husband is used to me saying things like, will you put the .. oh, the hot water heating thing.. on please?
I've always been told that this is a processing problem - the brain needs a bit more time to retrieve the word or phrase. I think of it as looking for a book in a library - you know it's in there somewhere but you've just got to find it.