Hey Brandon.. when I record I'm usually more tense because of the pressure of wanting to get it right. I usually record sat down when I'm first sketching out a tune too.. I usually find that my picking arm gets sore and tense as opposed to my fretting hand. We're all different I guess
Do you record sat down ? A lot of tension also begins in our necks and shoulders and travels down through our arms.. so make sure you stretch out your neck, shoulders and back and try and feel loose all the way down to your fingers.
Generally, when we're consciously trying to avoid playing mistakes we will tense up.. because we associate being loose and carefree with the possibility of sloppy technique or playing wrong notes.
When I find myself getting too tense, I stop.. do the usual routine we all do, shake our hands out etc... but what I find myself doing recently is to think of something funny (like a movie or comedian's joke) that makes me laugh. It helps me feel less serious and uptight. I do this when I'm having trouble with recording a video.. it makes me feel like 'It doesn't matter, just take it easy'
EDIT: Come to think of it, just think of Mudbone's Avatar.. that should do the trick !
(I hope he hasn't changed it now)