Head Above Water

Im not normally stuck for words, but I do know now what they mean by tongue-tied. And when you have to contend with an encumbrance like that, what could actually be a knot in your tongue, and at the same time youre struggling to do all you can to keep your head above water enough to attend to how youre coming across to someone waiting so intently on what youre next going to say that suddenly you feel youre expected to justify your entire existence, its not exactly a simple proposition.