All the answers so far provide good advice.
I would like to emphasize that - while you are building up the needed finger and hand strength to cleanly fret a 5 or 6 string barre chord, it will make it easier and less stressful on your developing muscles if you have a guitar that is optimized for easier playing.
Not all guitars are created equal. But all guitars have certain parameters that can be changed and optimized for easier playing. Let's look at a few of the things that can be adjusted.
String gauge. The lighter the strings, the easier it will be to play barre chords. As you develop more strength, you can graduate to a heavier gauge - which will give you more volume from an acoustic guitar. You might consider extra light or super light gauge until you begin to develop the ability to play barre chords better. Here is an article with more detail on string selection Best strings to get
Action. The action is the distance from the strings to the frets. The lower the action, the easier it is to play barre chords in particular. An action that is too low however, will allow the vibrating strings to contact the frets - resulting in fret buzz.
There are actually several ways to adjust the action. The first thing you will want to do is check the relief in the neck. You should have a slight concave curve (farther away from the frets in the center of the neck than at the ends of the neck) or at the most a flat neck. The amount of the curve or relief is controlled by the truss rod (found on most steel string acoustic and electric guitars). If you switch to lighter strings there will be less string tension exerted upon the neck and therefore less relief. Sometimes switching to lighter strings will necessitate loosening the truss rod to allow the strings to cause a slight concave bow in the neck to prevent fret buzz. You do not want a back bow. For more detailed information on how to adjust the relief with the truss rod see this Set up your guitar and adjusting truss rod on Stack Exchange.
Another way to adjust the action (string height) is to lower the bridge or saddle. The saddle is what the strings rest on at the bridge. Many electric and a few acoustic guitars have adjustable bridges. The saddle height on most acoustic guitars must be adjusted by carefully sanding the bottom of the saddle to lower the height. This should be done by an experienced guitar tech.
Another way to adjust the action is by changing the height of the strings at the nut. The nut is where the strings rest near the head stock. A nut that is too high will make the F major chord particularly difficult. Adjusting the nut is another job for an experienced guitar tech. It can be done by replacing the nut with a shorter nut, filing the back of the nut, or deepening the slots.
Finally, some guitars are just made in a way that makes them easier to play. Often, the quality (or fit) of the guitar that a new guitar student uses as they learn to play - can determine the likelihood the student will succeed in getting past the initial pain and frustration inherent in learning guitar. If after optimizing the action for your guitar, it is still difficult to play, you might consider shopping for a guitar that is easier for you to play. This means going to places that sell many guitars and trying out all of the ones that are in your budget.
Everyone experiences the same difficulty that you are discovering when they first learn barre chords. It will take some time and a dedicated effort to build the strength you need to make them sound out. Meanwhile, the suggestions above should help minimize the stress and make learning barre chords less frustrating. The rewards you will reap after the initial pain and suffering will pay dividends for a lifetime. It may take longer than you might like - but you WILL get it. So hang in there and don't give up! Good luck.