Being autistic Is devastating.

This is rarely spoken about, but I feel so helpless over my future. I (16/F) have high hopes for my future, but now recently I'm starting to realize that my dreams will be nothing more than dreams. I just want to have a stable income, a girlfriend and maybe a couple of cats. But life is so hard and I'm not sure if I will be able to hold down a job, live on my own or ever having a relationship where I feel truly happy. I am a quitter, I try to tell myself that I'm not and that I won't give up on my dreams, but I know what will happen. I understand that you can be happy without a partner and maybe living with someone else, but that is not where I want to be in 10 years. I want to experience friendships and love and all that. I always assume people won't like me, and that's usually true also. It feels so devastating to know that I will never get to experience that type of freedom and happiness. It makes me sad to know that I won't have those experiences.