You can't give someone self-respect. It has to be taken for oneself.
As for people's problems: its fine to listen and comment. But only so far. Its my old 'shit theory'. Apologies for the crudeness in advance:
Everyone has shit in their backyard. Some people's shit pile is bigger than others. If your pile of shit is less than others be careful: people will happily pile their shit on you until you drown in *their* shit and lose sight of your own. Some people even welcome other people's shit so they don't have to deal with their own. This is never a good idea b/c only the owner of the shit can truly clean up their mess. Always keep your own shit in sight and manageable. Or at least make sure your pile is getting smaller with time.
Second thoughts can generally be amended with judicious action; injudicious actions can seldom be recovered with second thoughts.
--Cyteen by C.J.Cherryh