For me, night-time flying can lead to a sense of uncertainty, especially if comforting visual clues are not forthcoming. Unconciously I may turn up the volume to my headset or speaker for my communications. (Better to hear, right?)
Fix? Turn the volume down to normal levels.
Finger tapping for no apparent reason.
Fix? Stop the tapping.
Increasing the brightness of instrument illumination.
Fix? Turn down the illumination.
You feel unusual tension developing in your face and body.
Fix? Try to relax and practice procedures you know that relax you. One that I use is my ADF radio station that broadcasts 'elevator music' that I can relax to. Stretching is another. Shoulder shrugs. Think good thoughts. These may be a little "hokey" but they can work.
You feel lost, in the geographical sense.
Fix? Use your instrumentation to locate your position or tune in to WJR, a major 50,000 watt radio station in Detroit or "like station" where you live to follow it in with an ADF. (listen to sports news...always a relaxer but not if you follow the Wolverines!)
Crying?
Fix? Self-evident.
Procrastination?
Fix? Use a handy checklist to set up a recognizable sequence to follow. That will, in many cases, provide the self help to get you out of trouble.
Use the IFR Center in your area to aid you. If your plane is transponder equipped and you know your Center frequency, they can find you and they are trained in techniques to calm you down. Once calmed, you will be astonished as to what you now remember to aid yourself.
Additional informatiion that tension may be rising is the "familiar becomes unfamiliar" and vice-versa.
In controlled airspace having fear arise, recognized and brought under control is vital. We all have our moments on October 31st. Now we can recognize, in a simplified way, those signs of fear and deal with them quickly for our safety.
Jim
Life is like golf - forget the score and keep on swinging!
