Traveling to Europe’s Most Stressed & Depressed Country 

A message only the ones who get to the end will understand: Isn’t Zacharias’ smile simply the best? :) Thank you for watching & engaging! ❤

Stop with the Betterhelp sponsorships, You know they sell the customers' data, and that's the worst thing you can expect from your therapist.

Its Wild to me how an unstressed 100 year old man, can look younger than a stressed 60 year old man.

I'm from Greece and I have to say to you guys, thank you so much for filming this amazing video. Keep the good work and remember , try to live your life with good balance and no stress

i didn't know Greece was going through the same exact situation as my country rn (Argentina), i really felt identify with what that guy said, it sucks but we definetly never loose hope for a brighter future💛

I love my neighbours. We all deserve to be happier. I hope our economies will be better. Cheers from Turkey!

I think a lot of southern Europeans suffer from the same challenges day by day. Greetings from Portugal. Stay strong Greeks we will all overcome these difficulties one day.

Seeing this old man smiling that hard and saying to not stress is really heartwarming. We need to live more and stress less for little things.

I love Greece. I met my wife in Pireus harbor. I have been back to Greece many times and will do it again. Love from 🇸🇪

As soon as I saw the title, I knew it was Greece. I’m a greek that moved back to Greece from America in 2021 and this is not the country I remember. Thank you for making this video and creating awareness. People always think Greece is one of the happiest countries in the world because they come for vacation and they just see the front they put on for tourists. Things are terrible! Especially in Athens. The prices are out of control. Example, yesterday, we ordered burgers and fries, nothing fancy but delicious. The burger was 13.5€. An unbelievable price for a country that will pay a 700€ as minimum wage. Don’t even get me started about the groceries, you can buy the same brand of greek yogurt in London for less than you can buy it in its home country. The main reason are the taxes! The greek government is out of control, for many many years now there hasn’t been a government that has truly looked out for the ppl. You pay so much in taxes and you get nothing. The public hospitals are terrible, don’t get me started about the ambulance service. You’re better off taking a taxi than an ambulance in the case of an emergency. How does this translate into the people? They are fed up, most have given up on change and are just miserable, which comes out as hostility when you’re not aware of the situation. When my partner (non greek) and I moved to Greece 3 years ago we were constantly offended by the stares, the rudeness everywhere, and the general condescending tone people in Athens have. Now we understand where that’s coming from, chronic desperation and hopelessness. It’s very sad what has happened to my country and I hope that one day the right government will be elected that will truly look out for its people. On another note, I can’t believe we missed your meet up! 😢 Thanks again for visiting.

Dear Yes Theory Team, I have been watching this channel for a while now, and this is the first time I have cried after an episode. I felt emotional many times in the past with your videos, but this was different. This is the first time I will share something personal on RU-vid. I left Greece 8 years ago amid the economic crisis. As a student, I had the privilege to study at a Public University, and because of that, I was able to start my journey abroad. My parents and my friends' parents paid for my education with their taxes, making me the person I am today. As a student, I had to live for years with less than 50 euros per week for my expenses. Thousands of people left the country in the last decade because of the financial crisis and the low wages, while the prices have risen. I feel sad that I can't return to my country and have a proper life. I want to thank all the students who are still fighting for a better future, and I apologize that my generation, which is only a decade older, failed to change the situation. Thank you, yes theory team, for showing the reality of the country and not just the touristic image of Greece, which is 100% fake.

I first visited Greece in 2019 and I felt right at home. The spirit, optimism and hopeful outlook of Greeks left a mark in my heart. Their friendliness and willingnesss to connect is heart warming. But I understand their pain and troubles; and I really like how you articulated the intricacies of the country's difficult situation. As rough as Athens may look, there are a lot of good people there which is why I keep coming back every year since (except during lockdown). 😊

I’m currently studying abroad in Athens and it was really interesting to see your perspective - I think the cameras were the main thing causing locals to be rude to you, as a tourist myself I have felt very welcomed by locals. Also bummed I missed you guys I recognized the spots you walked through! But keep up the good work 😊

Thank you for this , people should know that Greece is not only Gyros and Santorini , we need more videos like this

I hope Greece and Greeks can find away out soon, always smiling and being positive. We love Hellas, and your children too. Much ❤ from Portugal!

As a 25 year old struggling in Greece and wanting to leave the country for a better future, I appreciate you for taking the time to hear our story and our struggles! Yes Fam Greece is strong! 🫶

Greece is my soul country in Europe, even though I am Hungarian by blood and Romanian by birth. Despite all challenges people are truly welcoming and caring. But can still see the sorrow in their eyes and the frustration in their attitude towards their government and leaders. These people went through a lot. I made great Greek friends on my journey. Love and peace for you all!

"Where are the depressed people" well in their rooms. Real depressed people aren't usually outside or try to be as little as possible

Zacharias is so adorable; he made me tear up. He's so happy and positive. Very beautiful video.

that 100-year old man is such a good soul. seeing him smile made my day

I recently found your channel, Your videos bring me to tears, hope for the future. You guys are amazing, doing an awesome job. I am grateful and honored to watch your work, showing the truth, rawness and the spark that every being has in them. The beautiful authentic connections. The smile and light Zacharias has ❤. Thank you and much love to you all.

I love how this video takes us on a journey beyond the typical tourist experience and dives deep into the real stories and challenges faced by the people of Greece.

I feel like portugal and specially lisbon is going through the same, so many americans and rich europeans came here as digital nomads and made the rent super high to the point therrs trailer parks in the country. I think this "tourists/digital nomads gp home" mentality is very strong in southern europe right now bc us young people dont have money for nothing, our wages are so little me and my collegues have no prospects of ever owning a house, its so sad

I live in other part of the world, but I always adore Greece and it's history, I hope for prosperity and good health for all people in Greece! ❤

This video is a REAL eye-opener! THANK YOU for that! ❤

You guys know this. The ones that have a smile on their face always and show immediate kindness are the ones suffering the most usually.

I didn't expect it, but I am in tears... I always had the difficulty of explaining the situation of Greece to my foreign friends, but now this video is bookmarked and ready for sharing each time people don't believe me. I couldn't find a better video even if I made it myself

Hey I’m a Greek currently back in Greece for college. I use to live here in my younger years, I found it so disheartening to see my beloved country where my family is, thank you for raising awareness!

Great video and content. Really enjoyed watching you guys getting to know things about life in Greece 🙏🏼🇬🇷 Wild be glad to have you here again and explore other parts of the country

Any Portuguese here in the comment session? Could you relate to every second of this video? Cus I could! 100% what's happening in Portugal, it was almost like looking into a mirror 😭

I knew it was Greece from the start! Wish more people knew about the actual situation there, it's not all about tourism after all. Thank you all for this vid!

Thanks for spreading awareness about Greece. Me being in tourism industry, I have the same conversation with every single tourist. "Oh we couldn't imagine that the situation is so bad in Greece". Of course no one knows what is happening here since the propaganda of the government is so huge that people have the idea that the economy is thriving. In reality we sink day by day and we cannot see the end of it yet... It's really sad to see the young generations TRYING to survive in Greece and constantly trying to STAY and the government doing everything possible to push us all away... Thanks for showing the true picture of Greece. We need that because we have zero coverage from big tv medias.

Wow absolutely amazing. I learned so much, I did not know how bad it was in Greece economically. My heart goes out to all of the citizens. Ikaria Greece is somewhere I have always wanted to visit.

From a stressed and depressed 24 year old Greek woman... Thank you Yes Theory, from the bottom of my soul! Σας ευχαριστώ! I truly needed this video, which I found both moving and inspiring. I really hope I get the chance to meet you soon! Sending you much love 🤟💕

I moved to Athens from Australia 7 months ago with my partner (she's Greek Australian, always had the dream to move here.) It's been very eye-opening for the both of us. The people we've met here have been the most beautiful, the most kind and the most generous despite making almost no money. They love being out, spending time with people who matter and it does really break my heart that they can't afford to live comfortably. I've spoken with many people who work a service job and get paid 4€ an hour and go back to an apartment they pay 600+ € a month in rent. So many people are looking to get out, but where can they go? A lot of people I've spoken to have said "there's nowhere else for me." That's one giant reason the Greek hospitality is so touching man. I wanted to leave Australia to find myself, not because a lack of opportunity. It was a stunning reminder of just how lucky we were to be born where we were. The one thing I've noticed so much is that even though young people can't breath in Greece, they're still out and spending time with each other - a far cry from what I experienced in Australia (one of the reasons I wanted to move.) It felt like my friends and my community were becoming more and more and more isolated - yes, we can afford a lot more but what's the point if I'm never with people I care about? Life was way lonelier. The biggest impact living in Greece has had on my life is that now, when I go to coffee with my girl, we go out for hours just talking about nothing and enjoying the day as it goes by. Gone are the days of a 30 min power coffee and straight back to it. I really hope the situation in Greece improves, they're beautiful people and they deserve it. Quick note about Exarcheia: It's reputation exceeds the reality. Yeah, it can be a dangerous place - there are frequent clashes with riot police and the anarchists, but it's not so bad. The police are mainly around Exarcheia Square because they are building a train station there, a contentious point because historically Exarcheia used be essentially an isolated community, free of the government's presence. To see the really bad parts of Athens, where the hopelessness, the despair have reached an unbelievable crescendo, you need to go to places like Omonia, Metaxourgeio, Victoria, Attiki etc. You'll find open air drug use in the middle of the day right next to nice hotels. Another thing is that when you were trying to film in Athens around the λαϊκή, people didn't want to talk because they were stressed, I've found Greeks to be much more direct if they don't want to do something: They're blunt as hell and I love it to bits.

I know this channel since 7-8 years ago and I watch your videos every now and then but not often. No matter how late I come back across one of your videos you always give me goosebumps. You are very talented Thomas. You are a great storyteller and you have good eyes to capture the special in life. Thank you very much for your work.

Tbh I think this part about Exarchia is quite gonzo. I’ve been to Exarchia just 4 months ago and I liked this quarter the most, cause it still has this untouched and wild vibe. Exarchia has the best night life and beautiful cafes bars and restaurant. I also talked to someone who just moved to Exarchia because it has kind of a vibe like Berlin 15 years ago. So I can definitely recommend you to go there👌🏼

I live in Bulgaria, right next to Greece, and I go on vacations there every summer for the last 4-5-6 years. I was surprised to hear about your article because Greek ppl are one of the most laid-back, welcoming and happy ppl I’ve seen😃 But that’s probably because I go to the islands and during Summer, when it’s the peak season.👌🏻 amazing beaches, superior, fresh seafood and much more. It’s a beautiful country with many hidden gems and small islands. Maybe it also depends where exactly you go. As any other country they do have issues. We’re also not “thriving” in Bulgaria, but I’d say we’re still doing good.

Zacharias is the most youthful 104 year old I have ever seen.

I visited Ikaria last summer having become fascinated by the island. It truly is a magical place, and I have never frlt more welcomed and at home than when I was there.

I wish all the best to the Greeks! Un abrazo desde España ❤

I grew up in Athens, and spend a lot of my days in Exarhia and the surrounding areas. I now live in Scotland where I feel much more free and happy. This video really touched me. Thank you for bringing this deep prespective and diving into what is Reality for my country. God Bless

Depression is suffert in silence and stress does not give you the time to speak about it .... its one of the reasons why its so devestating and hard to get out of because your first instink/trained reaction is to not speak about it.

Such a good video. Thank you for visiting our country and getting to know both the ups and downs!

Thank you for this fantastic video! The smile of Zacharia at the end was stunning ! Much love to you:)

Its not all that surprising that Greece is the most stressed and depressed country. Pretty extreme economic hardship and a constant threat of losing social services including school and medicine to privatization along with a seemingly useless government... I'd be pretty depressed and stressed too.

Once again, thank you guys for everything! I had the most surreal and crazy experience of my life. Love you ❤️⚡️

Thank you for the video, guys!🙂

Always wanna live in such a wonderful place, 104-year-old Grandpa's smile is so pure.

You guys finally made it to my homecity! I hope you felt welcome and enjoyed your stay. Greece is a strange country. We're happy and grateful to live here, but also constantly get disappointed and discouraged. I wholeheartedly love this country, but that means hurting for everything that goes wrong here, and unfortunately it happens a lot. I think part of the reason people here are stressed is because we feel responsible for this place, we don't want to leave it behind, but we also often find ourselves unable to do anything to change it.

If I had a masters degree and had to drive tourists around all day, not too sure how happy I would be. Did make me appreciate my own country.

I've been to Thassos, and Paleokastritsa in Corfu, all i felt was chill in these places. I love the Greek islands, perhaps my favourite place in the world. This lady in Thassos was so nice, she kept making me bowls of pasta with cheese, back when i ate cheese, the people of the islands are awesome people.

Thank you for your amazing inspiring videos. I really appreciate how they make me think differently. There is always hope, love and happiness out there.

Damn I would have never responded Greece either. As an Italian, I feel like Mediterranean countries are hardly perceived as depressing just because of the stereotypical narratives surrounding them. But it makes, sense, they also face economic struggles.

I was stressed out before sitting down to watch this video. Now I have a smile on my face seeing that wonderful 104 year old ❤. Great documentary, like always! 🙏

Thank you for giving light to this ❤

Thank you for making this amazing video!

Been all over Greece many times and always found all the locals both in cities and rural to be happy and enjoying life. I have been invited into strangers homes for meals and had locals go out of there way to help me..... Even spent some time in the hospital in Greece (not a super experience)... Love the country, love the people.

Great and very different video. Love that you are showing the contrast and apparently a solution. I am happy for you that you have received so much love from this great gentleman.

that old man seriously has me crying after seeing his military pic, what a man. I work for my mother who is an attorney and serves as POA and/or trustee, and I am constantly around cool old men, but they're dropping in their 80's. That man in your video would be my new best friend if he was in my world. Absolute Soul, Amazing. Keep interviewing the elders!

Zacharias’ smile simply the best ❤

that was fantastic and inspiring video. thank you guys

Wonderful video, thank you. I love that farming couple, they’re awesome.

I really like how you just slide into any community you visit, fitting right in like you've been there forever, and the way you tackle their issues is so unique where no one is hurt.

I'm greek and I've been watching this channel for so long always wishing i could one day just meet them in the street as they film a video but i never knew they were coming to Greece damn. On another note i always knew they would use a bad title for a video dedicated to greece lol

Thank you for tracking Zacharias down, what a powerful smile and soul. Great video!

You guys are even more cooler than you look in the videos!! Beautiful hearts, compassionate, joyful! You really are great peeps!! :))❤

I Moved from Helsinki, Finland to Athens 4 months ago and I have been living here in Athens since then and I can all tell you that its completely vice versa for me Finland and finnish ppl seem so much more stressed and depressed than here even tho the living cost is not that different and the normal wage here is much lower. I don't even know how people survive here for only 500EUR a month. Remember this is just my perpective. But now i got a little depressed that i didn't bump into you guys😪

I went on a study abroad to Ikaria almost a year ago now, and I mean it when I say I miss it every day. Everybody is so kind, so nice, so stress free, and comparing it to how we lived in America? The reverse culture shock coming back home definitely hit, I'll say that much. And, it's so interesting to see other parts of greece outside of Ikaria. I heard from locals that the only thing they could say stressed them out in any way was the government, and I guess that rang true even in Athens. Thank you for sharing the struggles to better understand the reality of places like Greece that are often portrayed very differently to foreigners and tourists.

Love to Visit this Beautiful Country 🏁 Thanks Yes Theory 👍

Mister Zakarias is pure sunshine,may he live forever.😊

What a beautiful soul Zacharias is. His smile instantly reminded me of my dad who passed away 4 years ago.

From this Greek American, ευχαριστώ for this video. You visited deep into where my family came from. A dream I could only hope to achieve in my lifetime.

My comment disappeared 😕 So here it is again lol Hey Yes Theory team! I am proud of the youth in Greece and around the globe. Thank you for sharing their perspective and shining a light on the topics that matter. Really enjoying the direction of storytelling you guys are doing. Not just talking about topics but also sharing advice from locals. It shows that no matter where we are, we can all do something. Even if it's only in our immediate communities. Your work is truly inspiring!

KEEP UP THE CONTENT! loving it.

I ve been watching your videos for many years and always hoped you would come to my country, it really saddened me to see that this was the reason you came, thanks for spreading awareness about our issues here in Greece!

You guys are the best thing RU-vid has ever given me, i love the stories of countries that i have never been to, individuals that I will never meet yet i felt like I was part of your journey and conversation. Some stories brings tears to my eyes and some smiles on my face. Thank you Yes Theory, you guys are putting out such great stories and deserve all the love and subscribers ❤

Really enjoyed this video... I have to say my favorite part was you all meeting the centenarian, Mr. Piroudis, I SOOOO loved his smile... he was absolutely adorable!!

I am happy that you went also to Icaria. We had a summer holiday there and we were astonished about the peace and happiness you can feel and smell there. We had our best meal in a small family restaurant, where the owner brought us in the kitchen and let us see and taste everything before deciding what to have. And we got to enjoy it with a beautiful sunset on the terrace. Definitely an island to visit once in your lifetime. Thanks for the video, amazing and very rich of culture and informations.

My grandfather immigrated to America from Rhodes island in Greece. His father owned a winery that enabled him to send his sons across the world to escape the conflict. I am grateful to hear the story from George and see life around their winery. It makes me think about what my great grandfather and grandmother would have been like. Thank you for providing a view of the culture of my family I never got to know.

it’s about experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions. Greece is a captivating chaos, the most beautiful kind I've ever encountered.

I've spent the last two summers in Halkidiki and there's zero stress felt. But business owners give it well! It's not easy to live off tourism, which is seasonal job. They work 4 months in the summer to get by the whole year. Thank you all for hospitality. See you in July. 😊🇨🇦🇬🇷

Sending hugs from Portugal. 💖

I rarely comment on videos on RU-vid but i might have to on this one. As a Greek this video hit deep,like really deep.Greece has been in turmoil for centuries now since the Byzantine Empire fell,and never had the chance to get back up and stand on it's feet.I believe that the reason why Greece is the most depressed and stressed country in the EU is simply because we are constantly ruled by corrupt politicians that don't care about the greater good,and only care about how they can steal taxpayer money.Thank you so much for making this video and showing the world the sad reality of Greece.I hope that the situation will change for the better in the coming years.Much love!

What an amazing video! You really did a great job showing these opposite sides of my country! Born and raised in Athens I couldn’t relate more with all these stressed people, but these beautiful people from ikaria gave me hope and relief that you can still get away from this vicious cycle! Greetings from Greece! 🇬🇷🫶🏻

Loving YES Theory again! Thank you. Thomas and guys! Really one of the best You Tube channels!

The abonded buildings are not because of the crisis. These buildings have not been maintained for more than 2 decates. It's because the legislation system. Usually these buildings end up to belong to more than 1 owner, but because there are disputes between them, the buildings end up like this. Most of these buildings are "protected" by the government, meaning that because they are old and they belong to a specific architecture, it is forbidden to be demolished. After years, the cost of maintenance is so high, that nobody wants to buy, or renovated.

Thank you guys for raising awareness about my country. The economic problems have cut our legs for many years now and the governments of the past years are making terrible mistakes and they don't listen to the citizens. The situation is getting worse and worse sadly. Life is so expensive. For example it's cheaper for us to go on vacations in central Europe during summer than to go to our own islands. The public system is falling apart. Although I'm not very optimistic about the future, I still have a little hope in me that the better days will come. Again thank you for this one. ❤

insane cinematography and immaculate story telling! love yes theory for sharing this !

Great job guys, love from greece ❤

Come and Live in London for a few weeks, that's where you'll find the most depressing city in Europe.

Thank you for showing the reality. Greece is and will remain a very beautiful destination however, actually living here is not as beautiful. But we try our best to find the positive.

we in Argentina have very similar problems and it is constantly and consistently getting worse. Much love from here, I believe we can relate to the feeling of uncertainty about everything.

Wow guys! You certainly got the vibe❤ As a Greek living in Athens, I see so many people struggling only for survival, without expecting anything would change for the better. Your video is a ray of hope for us, to keep fighting and smiling (like Zacharias did) Maybe in this way we would find a way to let the sunshine in

18:53 Exarcheia in Athens and the sentence “Tourists go home”: you don’t mention or don’t know, that the city Center of Athens is very interesting for Airbnb and other investment opportunities hunters (small and big ones). Thanks to Airbnb-Tourists and digital nomads the prices for rental apartments increased crazy the last years.After Koukaki, Exarcheia is the next target for investors. Tourism brings money , but unfortunately also greed. This is the new reality of many cities- think of Venice, Paris, Lissabon….

Amazing video. My favorite RU-vidrs were in my country and I didn't even know about it... You reminded me of my grandfather through Zacharias' smile. What a gorgeous soul he is indeed. Your reach always surprises me, you show us things we don't even know about our own countries and accurately. Keep this up guys. I appreciate it🙏

Hey! I'm 19, been living in Athens my whole life. It's great to see you guys visited our country and experienced both ends of the spectrum from rural to village-like experiences. There's a lot going on that's wrong, and some people have unfortunately gave up since a very young age! Nice to see Zacharias too, he's a beautiful soul.

Beautiful program I just subscribed. I’m looking forward to more of your beautiful work.❤

great and inspiring video, Zacharias has the best smile.

Ι have been living in Greece for about 6 months now, (I will be here for about 4 more, I'm from Austria) and I live right next to Exarchia, your video and most of your experiences fit my own. Thank you for pointing out these things and showing the truth about countries like Greece.