A circuit breaker is a deliberate weak point. It exists so that when a circuit draws more current than its wiring can safely carry, the breaker gives up before the wire inside your wall does. So the first thing to understand is that a breaker tripping is not a malfunction. It is the system working exactly as designed.
The question is what caused it. An overload is the mildest version: too many things drawing power on one circuit at the same time. A space heater and a microwave on the same 15-amp kitchen circuit will do it every time. If the trip happens only when you run a specific combination of appliances, and the breaker resets cleanly and holds, you have an overload. The fix is either better habits or, more permanently, a dedicated circuit for the heavy appliance.
A short circuit is more serious. A hot conductor is touching a neutral or a ground somewhere, and the breaker trips instantly and hard. This usually comes with a bang, a flicker, or a scorch mark, and the breaker often won't reset at all. That is not a habits problem. Something in that circuit is damaged.
A ground fault is the third pattern, and it's the one GFCI outlets exist to catch. Current is finding a path it shouldn't, often through moisture. Outdoor receptacles, bathrooms, and basements are the usual suspects, and after a wet week we get a run of these calls.
Here is the honest line between wait and call now. Call now if you smell anything burning or hot-plastic-like, if a breaker or outlet cover is warm to the touch, if you see scorch marks or discoloration, if the breaker won't reset, or if it trips with nothing plugged in. Any of those means stop resetting it, leave that breaker off, and get someone out. Resetting a breaker over a real fault is how a bad circuit becomes a fire.
If it trips predictably under heavy load and otherwise behaves, you can schedule it normally. Either way, don't let anyone talk you into simply installing a larger breaker. A 20-amp breaker on 14-gauge wire removes the protection without removing the problem, and it is one of the most common dangerous things we find in older panels.