Old.....not obsolete.....yet

this is why the pros use drugs.
 

I have a similar 'red light' problem; thing is, I'm not sure whether my playing actually changes when I'm recording, or if it's my perception of my playing (maybe it's a bit of both!)  I do find that it helps to take a break between recording and assessing what I've recorded, like sometimes a couple of days, then I can listen to it with a more open mind, rather than just after I've recorded it and my perception is still 'man I completely fluffed** that' which will colour my opinion.
 
 
** - NOT like a horse

batsbrew
this is why the pros use drugs.
 

Or Alcohol...
We wouldn't have Innna Godda Davida without them!

For me, take lanes and comping are a great help for "Red Button Syndrome". I just start recording (section or whole piece) and let it loop. After a few or many loops, things get better for me, very unlike when I use to stop a flubbed recording, delete, and press record again. Doing that like I use to, puts you back at red button square one psychologically on every attempt.

Also I think that knowing that you WILL mess up (as usual), but also knowing it will be inconsequential after comping, decreases the "stress" of attempting a perfect take and leads to better performances overall. I use to get flustered as soon as I messed up, and it would take a while (several notes to several measures or even longer) to recover mentally. Now when I screw up I can keep going, and correctly, much more quickly since I know messing up will be inconsequential in the end.

If you're one of the many people that find their early takes sound the best (but may not be correct the whole way through), it often ends up that you can use one of those takes, only comping in the one or two flubbed parts from another take. Quick and easy!

I might have to try this - I am R-"crap"-Spacebar-CTRL-Z-R guy.  I should just let it go, loop and record takes in lanes.

dwardzala
I might have to try this - I am R-"crap"-Spacebar-CTRL-Z-R guy.  I should just let it go, loop and record takes in lanes.

You're too funny! That's how I was going to originally write it up the sequence, but with a different expletive!

Do all your rehearsals until you have it right.... then simply hit record.
 
I know what you mean though.... because NOW... it's "for real" the mic is live, the audio is being recorded and the pressure is on.   Just remember.... there's no clock running and no dollars adding up so the pressure is self induced.
 
I write the song in software..... then I rehearse it many times, as I work through the song.... on the lyrics.... by the time I finish, I know the song well.   So quite often, by the time I get to the point of arming the vocal track, I've already sang it front to back dozens of times if not more.... I can very often do one or two takes and call it done. 
 
I'm also not a perfectionist, which helps a lot.

Sounds like my golf game.
 
I agree with John, walk away and do something else for a bit then come back - repeat if necessary.