Photoshop tools reverting

Hello - I have the latest CC subscription for PS & LR.
I am finding that my tools are reverting to a previous option.  Two examples are

1) I've used, say, clone stamp and then I want to use a brush.  So I hit B, or the toolbar brush.  I want it to be soft (not hard like last time I used it), so I drag it over to soft.  Then I have to click in the work area round my photo, before it will let me enlarge/reduce brush size.  As soon as I do that, it changes back to the clone stamp.

2). Just tried to record a new action, so I click at the bottom of the action box to make a new one and it prompts me to name the new action.  So I name it.  Then ready to record, so I click on a new empty layer at the  bottom of the layer box, and it immediately brings up another box for me to name the action again.

I've had this error before and have only been able to cure it by taking PS off my Mac, then reinstalling it.  But this is tedious and I don't want to keep having to reinstall my actions/brushes/etc.

This has happened with earlier versions of Mac OS High Sierra and both before and after I've installed my only plug-in - DXO Nik (the latest version from the French company who now own it).

I have tried to find help, but nothing sounds anything like my problem.  I am a reasonably experience PS user and I do not know what to do next because I can't solve the problem without a reinstall.

I also cannot get to chat to an Adobe person - the page just sends me on a useless circle of looking for help.  Has the chat option been taken away?

I would really appreciate any help/advice you can give me to resolve this, or even if you can tell me how to get to chat to someone at Adobe nowadays.