• Speaking: I often know exactly what I want to say, but the word will not come out. Sentences can start strong then fall apart. Stress, pain, and tiredness make this worse.
• Understanding speech: Long or fast sentences in noisy places are hard to follow. Group chats feel like trying to catch several balls at once.
• Reading: Signs, forms, menus, and subtitles can take far longer. Small print is exhausting.
• Writing and typing: Spelling and word order slip. Composing more than a few lines can drain all my energy.
• Numbers and time: Prices, phone menus, and appointment times can jumble.
• Fatigue: When my brain tires, my language collapses. Progress is not linear, it is tidal.
• Social impact: People interrupt, finish my sentences, or talk over me. Phone calls feel like a trap. Confidence drops, so isolation creeps in.
• Identity and mood: Grief, frustration, and embarrassment are common. I had to rebuild how I see myself.

Hidden everyday barriers

Voice-activated phone interactions, GP or bank forms, delivery drivers who call instead of text, open-plan cafés, video calls without captions, and group conversations at family events.

What helps me in practice

• Build a small communication kit: a card that says “I have aphasia: please give me time”, a yes or no board, an alphabet board, a notebook and pen, and key personal details on one sheet.
• Train your circle: ask family and friends to speak slower, one idea at a time, and to wait. Agree a signal that means “give me a moment”.
• Plan for language-heavy tasks: do them when you are freshest. Keep conversations short, then rest. Protect quiet time before important calls or appointments.
• Use tech to lower the load: voice typing, predictive keyboards, live captions, text-to-speech, and messaging instead of phone calls. Put key phrases in your phone notes, for example “I need extra time to speak”.
• Make it visual: draw, point, use photos or icons on shopping lists and calendars. Write keywords rather than full sentences.
• Shape the environment: choose quiet venues, sit with your back to the noise, use noise-cancelling headphones, turn on TV captions.
• Scripts and templates: prepare short scripts for regular calls, delivery instructions, or booking tables. Reuse them.
• Ask for reasonable adjustments: under the Equality Act 2010 you can request extra time, written summaries, alternatives to phone calls, and help with forms.
• Therapy and practice: speech and language therapy matters. Between sessions, tiny daily reps help: name items in a room, read one short paragraph aloud, or practise a two-minute chat with a safe person.

How family and friends can make conversations easier

1. Get my attention, face me, and reduce background noise.
2. Speak clearly, one idea at a time. Avoid long strings of instructions.
3. Offer choices, or start with yes or no questions.
4. Use writing, pictures, or gestures to support words.
5. Give plenty of time. Silence is not failure, it is processing.
6. Check understanding by summarising, not by repeating louder.
7. Ask if I want help finding a word rather than jumping in.
8. Celebrate effort, not just accuracy.

Small daily wins

• Send one short message to a friend.
• Order a drink with a written cue card.
• Read a headline and tell someone the gist.
• Keep a tiny “I did it” list to see progress build.

Quick card you can copy

“I have aphasia after a stroke. My intelligence is intact, but speaking and understanding can take me time. Please: speak clearly, one idea at a time, and allow me extra time to reply. Writing things down helps. Thank you.”