How to track data when taking a break

When out for long rides I have always hit the lap button on my Garmin when I stop to buy some water and use the restroom, and then when I started again I would hit the lap button again and then I would know how long I had stopped, but now that I am using power data and trying to pace with IF I realized that the whole time I’m stopped is probably counting as zero power and skewing my NP and IF down. How do other people handle these breaks during long rides? Thank you!

I have auto-pause enabled. When it’s a longer stop I pause the activity and shut off my garmin completely. NP doesn’t count 0 watts eg coasting or stopping at a red light but avg power does. And if I remember correctly IF = NP/FTP so it doesn’t really matter for that data if you pause, shut off or let your garmin run trough the coffeebreak.

Auto pause. It will tell you total time including stops and time you are moving.

When it pauses does that also create a separate lap? Or if I want to know the data before the break and after the break do I still need to manually press the lap key at some point?

You would still need to press lap. Alternatively, if you are a TR subscriber, it will be easy to see your stop in your ride data and create new laps after the ride.