Computer running slow and freezing - Only using software like Microsoft excel and word...

My new mac seems to be running very slow even when I am only using software such as Excel and Word... Every couple minutes my computer will freeze or shut out of the programs entirely.

This is causing some issues because I will click save on a document, think it save (when actually my computer was frozen), and then close the software and lose the work. Also, my computer is only a couple of months old and shouldn't be freezing when I am not using complicated software. Are there any troubleshooting suggestions or does Mac have any way to scan the system to see what may be causing this issue?