I do not have many close friends. And honestly my family doesn't do much for me as a whole. My mother and stepfather are amazing, but every one else, including my bio father is horrid.

Colleagues? No, they don't help me. And I don't expect them to. They only know me because we work together. They are under no obligation to befriend me or "help in hard times." In fact, that would be asking quite a lot of someone who you merely know because you happened to be hired by the same employer.

I think you need to realign your expectation of what a relationship with a coworker is. Here are some definitions for you:

Family: people related by blood. Typically love is felt in these relationships due to the blood bonds.

Friends: people you know through mutual interest. Fully developed personal relationships in which the person knows a lot about you, may also know your family and other friends. Emotional bonds are cultivated, often love as strong or stronger than family.

Acquaintance: someone you know casually because they happen to be in the same circles as you, but you don't really know them personally. No emotional bond had been cultivated.

Co-worker/colleague: Someone you work with. You know/met them because by coincidence you work for the same employer. There is no emotional bond here. They are friendly because it is easier to get through the work day if they are civil and polite rather than rude or cold.

Ruby, you seem to confuse co-worker/colleagues with friends.

Yes, people outside your family can care for you and help you. When I got sick, I lived far from home and friends and even very caring acquaintances reached out and helped me out of the kindness of their own hearts. I am still touched today by the kindness exhibited to me by one person who I only knew through a class we took together. But remember that friendships are cultivated. They do not simply exist because you met someone and talked to them.

Try to think of the people you know in terms of these definitions and see where they fall.

Seesaw