The answer is that obligation comes together with understanding. As the person learns and recognizes each new thing the Torah says. At that time they begin the obligation in that mitzvah or that halacha. We learn this from the first bar mitzvah in the Torah, Yakov and Eisav. The Torah says "vayigdelu hane'arim", the young men grew up." It does not say, "they turned 13 years old". Rather, as Rashi explains, thier action became noticeable. This one set removed himself to the beis medrash and this one to the house of idol worship. Even after the giving of the Torah and the year of beginning obligation is set to a specific time, this fact, that growth is a gradual process that evolves with a persons deeds, never changed. So the bar/bat mitzvah becomes obligated each day a little more, as they learn and recognize what it means. The old man, when he learns the new halachah, becomes obligated then and it doesn't take away from the mitzvah as he did it his entire life.
I think this doesn't just mean when you first learn about something. I think it means when you recognize it as a truth and feel that the Torah is actually telling you that this is what you should be doing. When you see and feel personally, that Hashem himself is asking this of you. As you've seen, halachah is not black and white, there is not just ine way of doing it and a number of opinions. It is when you reach a conclusion about an issue, a mitzvah, that you recognize that the halacha is according to this opinion and that you should follow it that your obligation to begins. It could be at a later point in life, you'll recognize the other opinion as correct, and obligation falls to do it that way then.
My point is that you have unique challenges and should give yourself a break. Fulfil the mitzvas as they are inspiring to you and you feel its truth. Ho easy on yourself when it's not do clear to you...
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