Too Much Hair

So I have shedding issues. My hair. Have had these issues for a while now. Doctor says it's because I have hypo-thyroidism. I'm currently not taking any medication for that. So I'm still shedding.

It's also come to my attention that lately anytime I braid my hair (which is almost always), the top of my head becomes very sore. I'm a loose braider because I know with constant strain on the hair it becomes damaged and the hair falls out. Well... I've noticed my hair getting thinner and very noticeably so. When I don't braid my hair, or pull it back with a band, I have no soreness. So I'm thinking the weight of my hair when it is braided becomes more concentrated on certain hairs and the longer my hair gets, the heavier the braid becomes. And it's hard to do pretty much anything with long hair blowing in your mouth, or in your eyes, or getting stuck under your armpits, or sitting on it, getting food in it... and since I braid it almost every day, what's the point in having long hair anyway? I'm thinking short and spiky... like this maybe:

Yeah... you know I'd never do something like that... on a normal day...