I live in a very noisy house. 8 people and 3 dogs that are constantly being loud. I can’t have any quiet time to myself, making it very hard for me to concentrate or meditate. Going outside isn’t much of an option as the kids always beg to go with me. Does anyone have any advice?
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Hi @cheyanne! Welcome to the Forum!! 
Great question! I struggled a lot to meditate in the beginning because I was trying to hold on to one thing (my breath, a sound, a thought) and so if something else happened I got frustrated at the distraction and I thought “I need a place with silence!”
But meditation really is awareness of the present moment, so you have to accept that the present moment is life, and life is noisy. Anything can happen.
The real exercise during meditation is to not let the mind do its usual judging and labeling things as “good/bad”, “pleasant/unpleasant”, and instead be neutral to it.
So when you hear a car, don’t think about a car. Think about the sound waves hitting your ear. Don’t mentally create a red car driving down the road. This takes a lot of practice! Eventually you will think of all noises as one big faceless and shapeless mix of sound that surrounds you. When you have achieved that, the noise will no longer distract you during your meditation.
Meditation takes time to work but you will definitely see results. Once you start seeing results, you will feel even more motivated to continue your practice. As you continue on, meditation gets so much easier. 
Good luck and blessings!
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Just sit and listen to the noise going on around you, focus on it. LIke Francisco said, judge nothing, just be. Don’t struggle to be in silence, silence can sometimes be deafening! Think of each sound, and you can liken it to a nature sound, cos in actuality it is. Tune into a guided meditation on youtube with some ear buds to your cell phone,
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My house is pretty quiet yet I find it hard to quiet my mind. My Therapist and a Psychic buddy both suggested binaural beats. Look it up on Youtube, it really helps. The sounds affect and activate different parts of your subconscious. Its like a meditation cheat code.
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Yes they work great, and they have some for so many different things!
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I agree! I also find it quite challenging to stay focused and not drift off with my thoughts, and the binaural beats really help with that.
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Really good suggestion!
Binaural beats have an actual effect on the brain and can help with different things. There are lots of studies published on the subject of binaural beats. For example, here’s a peer-reviewed study on anxiety.
But also they can help suppress distracting noises that around you while meditating.
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Thank you I will look into this
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Hello cheyanne,
I am not the best in the art of meditation however I have been practicing meditation for the past 4 to 5 months already.
There is a way to use the distraction you hear from people or animals. Attempt to visualize the sound of nature that may originate from electric fans or air conditioner as sound of wood logs being burnt or as sound of waterfalls for the later. Use whatever stance is most natural for you when meditating. Do not worry about the future nor think of the past while doing meditation it will only distract you from your goal, focus on what you have visualized while hearing the sounds and you should be able to do meditation.
Have a wonderful day,
-Margaret
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This is beautiful advice, Margaret! A lovely way to take unwanted sounds and turn them into peaceful ambiance while meditating 
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Hello, @BryWisteria
I have a rather creative visualization if I want to use it. Sometimes a person has to think outside the box to achieve a goal or two. People are welcome to use it since YouTube ambience clip mp4 formats use those methods as well. One will just have to find which one works best for them.
Merry meet and merry greet,
-Margaret
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The next time I find myself unable to focus on meditating because of background noise I plan to try your visualization technique! 
Thanks for sharing, Margaret- blessed be 
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@cheyanne I am right there with you. Pets, daughter and her friends, the man around the house, my BRAIN lol…
Most of us I believe associate meditation with having to have silence around us. That belief has kept me stuck for so long and I still struggle to convince myself otherwise.
Personally, I have found my meditation practice comes when I am in the flow of doing certain activities.
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Cleaning
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Setting up an altar
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Gardening or caring for my houseplants
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Showering(I’m not much of a bath person)
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Petting or grooming my cats
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Candle gazing
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Driving with the music off
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Going for a walk or hike, a bike ride
Just to name a few 
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Those are great examples of having a mindful attitude!!
I think you can be meditative in any place or while doing any action. That’s the proof that it’s the meditator that matters and not the external environment.
In other words: you don’t need the perfect setting to practice mindfulness!
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I love that, thank you
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